Not What It Seems
by chilibreath
Summary: Nearly half a year had passed since the events of Weirdmageddon. The Grunkles are having a blast out on the open sea. In Piedmont, Dipper and Mabel are about to enjoy a week-long break from school. In Gravity Falls, Soos and Melody are having fun running the Mystery Shack...until they hear the first BOOM.
1. Not What It Seems

**Not What It Seems**

 _Nearly half a year had passed since the events of Weirdmageddon. The Grunkles are having a blast out on the open sea. In Piedmont, Mabel and Dipper are about to enjoy a week-long break from school. In Gravity Falls, Soos and Melody have fun running the Mystery Shack…until they hear the first BOOM._

 **XXXXX**

 _Gravity Falls, Oregon – February 17_

Soos looked outside the window of the Mystery Shack and said, "Look at all that snow!"

Melody left her position behind the counter, stood on the tips of her toes, and looked over Soos' shoulder. The whole lot in front of the Shack was completely buried in white. "That's a **lot** of snow!"

"Even the wind has snow!" Soos exclaimed, referring to the blizzard occurring right outside. Melody just chuckled; Soos never failed to make her laugh.

The snowstorms that hit the state the last few days were strong and terrible. The residents of Gravity Falls kept waking up to more than four feet of snow covering their doorsteps, driveways and—well, _everywhere_. Fortunately, they had Fiddleford McGucket in the neighborhood; after the first day of getting snowed in, the recovering lunatic inventor had modified a dump truck with a snowplow in the front and flamethrowers on the sides. However, he had to remove the flamethrowers on the very polite request of Mayor Tyler, whose office received numerous complaints about slip and slides on the streets (the melted snow turned into ice) and slightly scorched (but de-iced) cars, bikes, and a couple of slightly toasted gnomes (Jeff and Schmebulock had been stuck under Manly Dan's truck). McGucket then replaced the flamethrowers with giant salt-shakers on the sides and the back of the truck. Now everyone in town woke up to freshly plowed streets with a salty tang in the air. A few people wished that McGucket still had the flamethrowers installed, it was so cold.

Soos took off his Mr. Mystery eyepatch and turned around to look at Melody. "It's a good thing you brought extra clothes with you to the Shack. You shouldn't drive back down to town in this weather."

"Yes, yes," said a soft, accented voice behind them. Melody looked around and saw Abuelita, Soos' grandmother, standing behind them. "Is scary out there, with all the snow and ice. I already set up a room for you in the house, _m'ija_ , in Mr. Pines' study. You stay here where it's nice and warm, like my Soos."

Melody beamed at Abuelita and Soos. "Thank you, Abuelita and Soos!" The young woman walked over to Abuelita and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll go set up my stuff in there and help you prepare dinner!"

Abuelita smiled at Melody and patted her fondly on the cheek. Melody smiled at the little old lady before walking towards the counter. Behind it, she picked up a duffel bag painted with flowers and hoisted it over her shoulder before she left the gift shop room.

When Melody's steps started fading away, Abuelita turned to look at her grandson with the same loving smile. "Ah, _m'ijo_ , you are so blessed! You now run a business and you are dating a lovely lady."

"I sure am, Abuelita," said Soos, smiling and turning a little red from the praise.

"When are you going to marry her, Soos?"

"ABUELITA!" Soos yelped, looking around to see if Melody had overheard. "Wow, that escalated quickly!"

"What?" Abuelita asked, the expression on her face still calm and smiling. "I just want to see you settled down before I go up to Heaven."

"Well, it's a bit too soon, don't you think, Abuelita?" Soos said, looking between his grandmother's face and the door behind her where Melody exited the gift shop. "I mean, Melody and I have been dating for, like, seven months now…"

"Oh, Soos," Abuelita sighed. She reached out to touch her grandson's cheek; Soos had to lean over for her to reach his cheek. "Seven months is…"

 **BOOM**

The ground began to shake. Something rocked the Mystery Shack!

" _Dios mío_!" cried Abuelita. Soos grabbed Abuelita and helped her to kneel on the floor. The large man used his torso to shield her from the debris falling down from the ceiling.

The merchandise started shaking off the shelves. The exhibits around the Shack toppled. The monkey-mermaid piece nearly split in half when it hit the floor. Soos' hand-made sculpture of Stan Pines wobbled a bit, but it didn't lose balance. Soos figured it was due to the wide base.

Soos and Abuelita did not move until the shaking stopped. When it stopped, Soos straightened up, looking around in a panic.

"Melody!" Soos yelled as he helped up his grandmother. "Melody, where are you?!"

"Soos! Abuelita!"

Soos breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted Melody running out of the door back into the gift shop. His girlfriend looked extremely spooked, her hair and face covered in dust and her big blue eyes wider than normal. Soos opened his arms as Melody ran towards him, then bent down to pick up his grandmother to include her in a gentle bear hug.

"Somethi—something exploded downstairs!" Melody whispered, looking up at Soos.

"Downstairs?" Soos repeated, perplexed. "That…that can't be! There's nothing down there to explode. Mr. Pines—I mean, Mr. Ford—he dismantled the Portal and all the other machines down there before he left with Mr. Stan! I helped him with that stuff after Mabel and Dipper left!"

"I know what I heard and felt, Soos!" said Melody. "I was fixing my stuff in Mr. Ford's study when I dropped my shampoo. When I went to pick it up, I heard the 'boom' and landed on my face. The shaking seems to come from down there!"

"Bu—"

 **BOOM**

There it was again! As Soos crouched over the prone forms of Melody and Abuelita to shield them while the Mystery Shack shook once more, he became aware of other sounds. They were faint, coming up from the ground, but he could hear them.

If he didn't know any better, they sounded like the laser guns from the hit space movie, _Trek Wars_.

But if Melody was right, he shouldn't be hearing those sounds. The Portal room was miles underground. How could he be hearing those sounds from way down there?

Soos' question was immediately answered by another **BOOM** and a large **CRACK**. Those sounds seem to come from the outside, on the other side of the Shack. The Shack shuddered a little, and the three people in the room got covered in more dust from the ceiling.

"You doods stay here!" he said to Abuelita and Melody. He kissed his grandmother and girlfriend on the cheeks and opened the door. He was immediately hit by a strong snow flurry. A large pile of snow got into the Shack and covered his feet.

"Aaah, the snow is blinding me!" Soos howled.

Melody grabbed Soos' thick gray jacket from the coat hanger near the door and threw it over him. She was already putting on her bright blue jacket and was out the door before Soos could put on his own jacket.

"You stay here, Abuelita!" Soos said loudly. "We'll take care of this!"

"Okay, _m'ijo_!" replied Abuelita. She looked around the room and surveyed the mess. "I go get the vacuum now," she murmured.

 **XXXXX**

Outside, Soos had caught up with Melody on the other side of the Shack. For a little gal with little legs, Melody could **run** , even in this weather and with all this snow. He spotted her a few feet away from the front of the Shack, looking at something.

"Melody, why did you stop?" Soos panted. "What are you looking…at?"

Soos looked around and spotted what transfixed Melody on the spot. His jaw dropped.

Beside the Shack, looking like a giant blot on the white landscape, was a gaping hole. A little way off the crack…no, not away from the crack, _above_ the crack, two people were facing each other.

Soos blinked. The two people were _floating_ , each standing on what looked like some kind of giant shiny metal discs with bright doodads. They were shouting at each other, speaking in a language he did not understand—or he could not hear them properly over the wind. Both of them wore long robes with hoods; they reminded Soos of the robes worn by the creepy Society of the Blind Eye, but with different colors. One wore dark blue robes, while the other wore black. He could not see their faces, but he could see that they were each holding on to a very long stick.

"Are they—are they SPACE NINJAS?" Soos asked. He started wondering if someone in town had managed to unleash the characters from that new computer game, _Hoodsassins_ _Code_.

"I—I guess…" Melody replied, still bewildered. "What are they doing?"

"It looks like a stand-off," Soos said in an awed voice. Then, in a brighter voice that should not have been appropriate in this situation, "They must be intergalactic Fight Fighters and they teleported here for the next round!"

"But they're not doing anything, Soos. Except float over that hole."

The two robed strangers didn't seem to notice them yet (hardly surprising in this weather). They have stopped shouting and seemed to have settled into a staring contest. _At least_ , thought Melody, _they're staring at each other. Hard to tell with their robes and this blizzard_. _Alright, let's find out what's what._

Melody moved a few steps forward. Soos followed her.

And then the ground gave out from under them.

 **XXXXX**

 _Piedmont, CA – February 17_

"Hey, bro-bro. How are you feeling?"

"Ugh, not so loud, Mabel."

The girl winced. "Sorry, Dipper," Mabel stage-whispered. Mabel tip-toed closer to the bed, the better to see her twin brother. "You look awful," Mabel whispered sympathetically; Dipper raised his head slowly to give his twin sister a grumpy look. Then he groaned and leaned back on his pillow.

Mabel shook her head. Since they returned to Piedmont and started eighth grade, Dipper would spend the weekends doing one of three things: explore Piedmont with Mabel and their new friends, hang around in the library, or join Mabel chat with their Grunkles Stan and Ford over the ham radio (the radio was a gift from the two old sea dogs during their surprise Christmas visit in Piedmont. Yesterday should have been library day for Dipper, but when Mabel went to wake him up, she found him huddling under his blanket, shivering. The fever started that night. Mom had taken his temperature, checked the internet and their first-aid kit, and gave Dipper some over-the-counter stuff to deal with the fever and told him to rest. Ever since, Dipper rarely left his bed except to use the bathroom.

She placed the bowl of water on the table next to Dipper's bed and fished out the hand towel that was swimming in it, wringing out the excess water before folding it and placing it on her brother's hot forehead.

"Thanks Mabel," Dipper murmured appreciatively. "Guh, I feel terrible. Why did I have to get sick on a _weekend_?"

"I know," Mabel murmured, shaking her head. "Especially with winter break coming up!"

Dipper groaned. "Great, just great. I'm gonna spend my vacation as a patient instead of hanging out with you and the Grunkles."

During their last transmission a week ago, the 13-year-olds learned that their seafaring Grunkles were heading to Piedmont again to visit them during their winter break. Mabel's squeals of excitement were powerful enough to set off a few car alarms around the neighborhood. After Mabel and their parents calmed down (Dad burst through the door of the twins' room, holding up a baseball bat), Grunkle Stan said, "Pumpkin, I think you scared off all the seagulls around the Stan O'War, and a couple of dolphins."

"Hey, easy there, Dippo," said Mabel. "Don't get worked up about it or you'll never kick this fever off."

Dipper just grumbled. "If I found out who made me sick, I will make them pay! With—I dunno—rashes or something. Do we have poison ivy around the house?"

"Dipper, stop it." Mabel said in a threatening voice. "If anyone's going to get revenge, it's gonna be me. And anyway..." She stood up and showed her brother her sweater for the day: it was all red except for the white circle in the middle, which had a red cross inside. "Nurse Mabel is here, and she says you need to rest up some more, Mister!"

Dipper smiled wanly at Mabel. "Okay. I'll try."

Mabel smiled back at him, a wide and toothy smile filled with braces and that Mabel brand of caring. "I'll go leave you to recharge. Also, Mom says that if the fever doesn't go away by tomorrow, we'll have to take you to the doctor, so save us the trip and get better."

"Yes ma'am," said Dipper. He yawned and started dozing off. "G'night, Mabel."

Mabel looked out the window and then at the digital clock on Dipper's desk on his side of the room. It was 5:45pm. "It's not that late, but close enough."

Mabel refreshed Dipper's towel and placed it back on his forehead before heading out the door, closing the door carefully behind her. Dipper turned to his side, making the towel slip off his forehead.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** I haven't written this much in years, so my story-telling abilities might be a bit rusty. I also had to do some major researching for the winter break schedule, the weather in 2013, games and movie references and so on. If there are some points or facts that are off, I do apologize in advance. Constructive criticism is most welcome.

Gravity Falls belongs to Disney and Alex Hirsch.


	2. The Stranger in Blue

**The Stranger in Blue**

 _Gravity Falls, Oregon – February 17_

Melody and Soos' screams cut through the air as the ground they were standing on gave way beneath them. Snow, earth, and the pieces of the wrecked support beams of the Portal room joined the couple in their descent to the cavern below.

Moments before they fell, Soos had managed to grab hold of Melody's hand. He was still holding her hand as they fell into the chamber, his last thought was wishing that he could fly and get them away from this danger…

" _Tula sinome!_ "

Soos and Melody went "OOF", their fall abruptly cut off by some kind of force (Melody would later describe it like landing on a pillow made of air). The next thing they knew, they started going _up_ , like someone caught them in an invisible net and started reeling them in. Soos looked down and realized that he and Melody were a few feet away from making impact with the floor of the old Portal room.

And then Soos realized what was happening.

"My near-death wish came true!" he cried, twisting himself and Melody around so that he could copy the Superguy pose and fly them out of the cavern. "Up, up, and up there!"

Despite Soos' best efforts, that didn't make them fly out of there faster. They still kept to a moderate floating speed.

"Soos," Melody said, "Is this the anti-gravity thing you told me about months ago?"

Soos looked around them. "This feels like it, but we're the only ones floating."

Melody looked up. "What the…?"

The couple reached the mouth of the hole, which had become bigger after they fell in. A tall, slim figure stood near the mouth of the hole, standing on the metal disc that hovered a foot off the snowy ground. Once they were level with the figure, they realized that it was the one wearing the blue robes, and they were pointing a long blue stick at them. Melody, who was nearer to the stranger, could not see the other person's face, as the hood and light blue scarf covered their features, though Melody thought she could see a pair of eyes from under the hood. Even the hands holding the long stick were covered in gloves of the same light blue hue as the scarf.

The couple were still floating up (Soos forgot to stop doing the Superguy pose) and after reaching a certain height above the hole, the stranger twisted to the right. Melody and Soos cried out in surprise as they felt themselves move in the same direction. They moved several feet away from the hole, and Soos finally stopped doing his Superguy pose to turn around and see that the stranger was also moving away with them.

If anyone decided to choose that time to drop by the Mystery Shack, they would be quite surprised to see two adults floating to the front lot of the Shack, seemingly pulling a floating cloaked stranger with them holding a long stick in their direction. And then that hypothetical person would start running away screaming and round up the townsfolk to form an angry mob. As it was, there was no one else outside the Mystery Shack that afternoon.

The stranger muttered something, and the next thing they knew, Soos and Melody were dropped into a big pile of snowdrift. They scrambled out of the snow, spluttering and shivering and brushing the snow off them. Soos looked around and saw the blue-robed stranger look around the premises.

"Thank you, mysterious hooded stranger!" he said loudly and with great relief. This seem to startle the stranger, who whipped around to look at Soos, pointing the stick at them, making Melody gasp in surprise. It was then that they noticed that the stranger was wielding a very strange-looking stick. The part the stranger was pointing at him looked like a big knot of tree root, but it was powder blue.

After a tense moment, the stranger let out a long breath and lowered the staff. Melody moved to stand beside Soos and asked, "Who are you?"

The stranger responded by pulling down the scarf and lowering the hood, exposing a tumble of dark red hair and the pale oval face of an attractive woman who looked to be in her forties. She looked tense and somewhat abashed.

"My apologies, good people. It has been a very trying day," she said. She spoke with a deep, pleasant voice that had a trace of an accent that neither Soos nor Melody could recognize. She raised her staff in the air and continued, "Greetings! I am Maegella of the Blue Guild. I have entered your world in order to save mine."

Soos clapped his hands to his face. "Holy Toledo, you're a _Hoodsassin_!"

Maegella put her staff down and stared. "What?"

Melody felt bad for Maegella, who looked thoroughly confused, and intervened. "Sorry, he thought you came from a computer game!"

Maegella's expression did not change when she looked at Melody. Then she surprised the younger woman by smiling in relief and exclaiming, "Thank goodness, a Guild-sister! What a relief to find a friend on this strange plane of existence!"

Now it was Melody's turn to say " _What?!_ " as Maegella zoomed towards Melody on her floating disc and hugged her tightly. "Wait, I'm not from the Gill—Guild, ma'am!"

"Melody, I think it's because of your jacket," Soos said, looking at the scene in placid wonder. To Maegella, he said, "'Scuse me, Miss Mage ma'am. My girlfriend isn't part of your Guild group. She's a member of Earth, like me!"

The older woman pushed Melody away from her and gave the smaller woman a critical look from head to foot. "I see, I should have known; the robe she wears is insufficient in length!" Maegella exclaimed.

Melody looked down at herself: she was wearing her thick, bright blue jacket over her Mystery Shack uniform (moss-green shirt with a darker green question mark in the middle and blue jeans) and looked at Maegella's long flowing blue robes.

Before Melody or Soos could say anything, Maegella let go of the younger woman and looked around and then up at the sky. "I have lost his trail," she muttered angrily, placing her hands on her hips and scowling. Maegella walked away from the puzzled pair as she started to take off what looked like a dark blue backpack hanging off her shoulders (Soos and Melody only noticed it now when she took it off her shoulders) and proceeded to open it and search for something inside.

Melody and Soos looked at each other.

"Uh, pardon me, Miss Mage…" Soos began.

"Maegella," Maegella corrected him, not looking away from her search of the contents in the bag. "Oh, where is it?"

"Okay," said Soos. "Well, would you mind answering a few questions? Like, where did you come from? How did you get here? And who that other hooded dood was you were arguing with before Melody and I dropped into that hole?"

"And what is in _our_ world that you need to save _your_ world?" Melody added worriedly. She had good reason to worry; when she came back from Portland and went to work at the Mystery Shack, Soos told her about everything that happened during the strange and nearly cataclysmic phenomenon that occurred in Gravity Falls back in August, and she sensed that they were witnessing the beginnings of another event like it happening again.

"There it is!"

Soos and Melody jumped as Maegella suddenly straightened up. She stepped off her metal disc and into the snow, leaving the metal disc to float in place. In the palm of her hand, Maegella held what looked like a plain white teacup saucer. She placed a lock of wiry black hair in it, picked up her staff and said, " _Manke naa lye autien, Worgel?_ "

After saying the strange words, she tapped her staff hard on the ground.

Soos and Melody gawped as the saucer started to emit a bright blue light. When the light ebbed, the hair disappeared, but there were now bright blue symbols on the saucer, which seemed to make sense to Maegella, who looked up and turned to the direction of the town.

"There you are, Worgel," Maegella muttered, tucking the glowing saucer into an inner pocket of her robes. She closed the backpack and then hoisted it on her shoulders as she stepped back on the floating disc. She wrapped the scarf around the lower half of her face, put on what looked like thick glasses and pulled her hood over her head.

"Where are you going?!" Melody asked in surprise.

"Can we come with you?" Soos asked hopefully. "We can help!"

Maegella looked back on the pair with a steely gaze. "Please stay here. You need not involve yourselves with this!"

With that, Maegella tapped the floating disc with the heel of her staff and zoomed out into the darkening skies, towards the direction of the town. Soos and Melody looked at each other.

"I'll go get my truck!" Soos yelled as he turned around to get his keys from the Shack.

 **XXXXX**

Before she made it halfway to the destination shown on the Spotting Saucer, Maegella had to land at the edges of the town. The strong icy winds were making flight on the disc impossible to endure and dangerous. She didn't like the experience of being tossed around like a leaf.

She looked down at the Spotting Saucer; she was homing in on her target. It seems that Worgel had gone past this strange-looking village and was heading for the outer edges. Maegella peeked over the disc and looked out at the town of Gravity Falls. _These people seem to be fond of block buildings_ , she thought. _Where are their domes?_

She shook her head and focused on her mission and her destination. She looked around at the snowy landscape, thinking fast.

" _Yala onna lossë_ _lobros!_ "

In front of her, the snow began to move and shift, rising and forming the shape of an enormous and extremely muscular horse. The snowy beast whinnied and trotted away from a large patch of snow-free earth towards Maegella. The woman grinned as she tapped the disc with the knob end of her staff, which made the disc shrink until it was the size of the palm of her hand. She stuffed the disc into her robes and clambered on the snow-horse.

"Yah!" she yelled, and the great white beast started to gallop. She directed her steed to steer clear of the town, keeping to the margins.

 **XXXXX**

Meanwhile, Soos and Melody were trying to follow Maegella. They were inside Soos' old pickup truck, which had been given a snowplow upgrade thanks to McGucket. The genius hillbilly just appeared a few days ago on the steps of the Mystery Shack with his son Tate.

 _"Mornin' Soos! What say I go and fix up yer ol' truck before you fellers get snowed in here?"_

 _"Gee, Mr. McGucket, you don't have to…"_

 _"TOO LATE! I done already did it!"_

 _And then McGucket stepped aside to show Soos his newly upgraded truck. The upgrades included the snowplow in front, giant snow tires, and what looked like two flamethrowers on the sides._

 _"WOW!" said Soos in awe. "My truck looks amazing!" He turned to smile at the bearded old fellow. "Aw, shucks Mr. McGucket. You didn't have to do this."_

 _Old Man McGucket smiled up at Soos. "T'weren't nothing, Soos. I have to do this 'coz I have to watch out fer my friends!"_

"Where could she be?" Soos asked, driving as carefully as possible through the storm.

"She looks like she's heading for the outskirts of town," Melody replied, peering out of the window. "Hey, look at that!"

Soos stopped the truck beside the area that Melody was pointing at: among the piles of snow in the general vicinity was a large patch of bare earth and several trees with a suspiciously thin layer of snow. Soos and Melody looked at this patch, then at each other.

"We're getting warmer, dood," Soos muttered as he fired up the truck. "Let's do this!"

They moved on and reached the town. Very few people dared to venture out around this time; Soos started the line of investigation by stopping near Lazy Susan to ask, "Excuse me, but have you seen a blue wizard-lady pass by here on a shiny Frisbee?"

The bewildered woman replied with a "Whaaat?"

"Uh, never mind, sorry!" Melody yelled, and she reached over to close Soos' window. "Let's go ask that guy!"

Soos looked over to where Melody was pointing. "Tad Strange? Sure, why not?"

They drove over to the other side of the street to where Tad Strange was standing. He was wrapped up in a thick black jacket, a thick scarf wrapped around his neck, and wore black earmuffs. In one black-gloved hand, he was holding a bag of groceries.

Melody rolled down her window. "Excuse me, Mr. Strange. You wouldn't happen to have noticed a person wearing a lot of blue pass by here?"

The enigmatically normal Tad smiled up at them and replied, "Actually, I haven't."

Melody frowned.

"But I did see someone wear a lot of black pass through town earlier while I was walking to the grocery store!" Tad continued in his monotonous and cheerful tone of voice. Melody and Soos looked at each other in surprise.

"Did you see where they went, Tad?" Melody asked Tad excitedly.

"And was he riding a Frisbee?" Soos added.

"And are you sure it wasn't the Valentino kid?"

"They went that way," Tad supplied helpfully, pointing to the other side of town. "I don't know who the Valentino kid is, but they look like they were riding on one of Mr. McGucket's inventions. Did you know he invented a rocket-powered sled?"

"Rocket-powered sled?" Melody repeated, confused.

Tad nodded. "It was quite amazing! It looked like a regular snow sled! But it seems like the rocket is Earth-friendly: there wasn't any smoke coming from it! Isn't it exciting?"

Soos and Melody looked at each other. Then they looked out onto the street: the roads were snow-free but shiny, like a layer of ice had formed from the melted snow.

"Uh, that does sound exciting!" Melody said. "Anyway, thanks Mr. Strange!"

"My pleasure," said Tad, waving at them as they drove carefully away. "This has been an eventful day for Tad Strange!"

 **XXXXX**

 _The outskirts of Gravity Falls_

Nearly an hour later, Soos and Melody had reached the end of the half-frozen, half-melted trail on the other side of town. Fortunately, the storm seems to be getting weaker as the sun was setting.

"Aw, man," said Soos. "Where could they be?"

 **CRASH!**

Soos and Melody yelled in surprise as a tree crashed in front of them. Soos frantically turned the steering wheel to turn to the right and hit the brakes.

They just barely hit the fallen tree. However, the proximity to the tree and the parallel position of the truck next to it meant that Soos could not get out from his door. Before they got off the truck, Melody and Soos added a few more layers: gloves, wooly hats (gifts from Mabel last Christmas, along with the sweaters they wore under their jackets) and scarves (also from Mabel). From under the seat, Soos pulled out two baseball bats. He gave one of them to Melody, who took it with a grim expression on her face.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Melody opened the door and stepped out into the chilly air. After a lot of scrambling over the stick shift, Soos jumped out of the truck. Melody took a flashlight from a pocket of her jacket and turned it on.

 **ZAP!**

A few feet away from where the fallen tree once stood, strange zapping sounds were heard. For every zap, the trees beyond were illuminated from behind. From the red-yellow glows on some parts of the woods, it seems that the fight had ignited a few trees.

"This is not good," Soos said, shaking his head. "They're gonna start a forest fire, Melody!"

"Let's go try and stop them!" said Melody. She and Soos started running towards the fight behind the trees. As they got closer, the zapping sounds and accompanying lights got louder. The voices of the combatants were also becoming more audible.

"You cannot stop me, woman!" a thin, somewhat nasal male voice cried out. "You cannot stop the inevitable!"

"Worgel, you must stop!" yelled another voice, and the Mystery Shack couple recognized Maegella's voice. "The path you and your master follow will lead to our destruction! Think about the consequences!"

 **ZOW!**

Something blasted the top of the thick tree where Soos and Melody were hiding behind. Soos grabbed Melody and pulled her away as a flaming piece of tree crashed down. They landed on the ground, the thick layer of snow cushioning their fall. Looking up, Soos realized it was a spot where there was a large gap between trees. Beyond it, two robed people were fighting in a clearing: one of them was Maegella, her hood off her head, maintaining a fighting stance and holding her blue staff in both hands. The other one was the black-robed man they saw earlier. The one called Worgel also had his hood down. He was shorter than Maegella; he sported a hatchet-shaped face with eyes nearly obscured by impossibly thick eyebrows and his neck-length black hair looked like it wasn't washed regularly. Like Maegella, he also wielded a staff, which seem to be of a dark brown color.

The combatants were so focused on each other, they weren't aware that Soos and Melody were watching them.

Worgel spoke again: "I trust Master Durok. _His_ reasoning is sound! It will save us, not destroy— _aaagh_!"

While the nasal-voiced man was talking, Maegella had muttered something under her breath and made circle motions with her staff. The snow underneath Worgel started moving up his legs; manacles made from snow shot up from the ground and grabbed his wrists. Worgel started to struggle.

"That is **so** cool!" Soos proclaimed as he and Melody started to stand. While they were awkwardly trying to gain a foothold, Soos stepped on a stick, unseen under all the snow. _CRACK!_

The sound distracted Maegella, making her look away from her magical entrapment of Worgel. She spotted Soos and Melody near the trees. "What the-?"

 **FOOM!**

"Aaaaaaah!"

Worgel had thrown something on the ground; a cloud of dark purple smoke erupted between Maegella and Worgel. The thick smoke moved away from Worgel to cover Maegella, forming a cocoon around the woman and making her cough and flail. The only parts that could be seen of Maegella were her feet and the tip of her staff as she struggled to get away from the blinding smoke.

The snow manacles dropped off his wrists as Worgel stepped out of the pile of snow around his feet and turned to look at Soos and Melody, who backed away slowly, raising their baseball bats. The black-robed man grinned, showing off yellowing chiclet teeth. He raised his black staff at them; Soos and Melody dropped their bats as they turned extremely hot. When they dropped to the snow, they caught fire and made the snow around them sizzle.

"Thank you, you strange clumsy people," Worgel said as he waved his staff in the air. Somewhere behind him, a metal disc came flying and zoomed to a spot next to his feet. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and continue on my mission."

He stepped on the disc beside him and tapped the surface with his staff. The disc began to rise, and when he cleared the tree tops, Worgel zipped out of sight.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** This fanfic is turning into an amalgam of other fictions. Maegella's spells are Tolkien Elvish (my apologies to Tolkien fans if they are bad). And no, Tad isn't a secret member of a Guild. He's just regular Tad Strange.


	3. Memories, Magic, and Manotaurs

**Memories, Magic, and Manotaurs**

 _The Stan O'War II, somewhere in the North Pacific Ocean – February 17_

He dreamed about the place again.

 _One moment, he was giving Dipper and Mabel the grand tour of the Mystery Shack. At the end of the tour, when he turned around to ask them if they wanted to go fishing, the kids were gone. So was the Mystery Shack. He realized that he was standing on one end of a long, white corridor. The place was very clean, the lights very bright, and the area very quiet._

 _He walked down the corridor, noting that there were gray doors on the sides and gray chairs positioned next to them. There seemed to be numbers on the doors, but when he tried to take a closer look at them, they were jumbled together. He couldn't seem to stop walking; he needed to get somewhere. Somewhere where he could get answers that would relieve him of the worry and anxiety he felt when he appeared in this place._

 _He reached the end of the corridor and turned right. There was another stretch of walls and floor here, but on the right side of this hallway was a large door and what looked to be a large window, where another room seemed to be. The door opened and a man wearing a white coat stepped out of it. He looked like they could be the same age, though it was hard to tell, as the other man's face was obscured in a kind of haze, like the ones crime shows would use to make the faces unrecognizable. At least he could make out the limp gray curls framing the head and the basic features of a fuzzy face: a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth._

 _The man realized that he was standing there. The fuzzy face smiled at him. Or rather, the line that served as the guy's mouth changed from an upside-down U into a U._

 _"What's the news, doc?" he asked the old man. The old man stepped forward, placed two veined hands on his shoulders, and said…_ "Stanley, you're talking in your sleep."

"Whuh?!"

Stanley Pines woke up with a start and suddenly sat up, glasses askew. He didn't realize he had fallen asleep at the small square table that served as their dining area-slash-worktable in the refurbished trawler. A large piece of paper was sticking to his left cheek; Stan had been looking at the map and attempted to compare it with his brother's notes before he dozed off.

Stan peeled the paper from his face and adjusted his glasses back on his large nose. He looked up at Stanford. Ford was holding a can of beer in each six-fingered hand, one of which he handed to Stan.

"Are you dreaming about the white hallway again, Stanley?" Ford inquired, popping open his can of beer.

Stan nodded, using the condensation on his can of cold beer to clean off the stale spit from his face. "Yeah, but this time, I reached the end of it and turned right."

Ford raised an eyebrow. "That's new." He sat down on the other side of the table, reached under his waterproof jacket and pulled out a small red notebook and a pencil. "You've been having that hallway dream for more than a week and now there's a change in the pattern."

Stan popped open his can of beer open and took a swig. "Yeah, that was a nice change. At least I wasn't just walking in one direction, I _went_ somewhere. Only it was more white hallway. There was a window on the right side, and some old doctor guy got out of that room."

Ford nodded and wrote everything down. _Finally reached end of hallway. Turned right to another hallway with a window looking into a room (probably). Old male doctor…_

Ford paused and looked up at his twin. "What makes you say he was a doctor?"

Stan shrugged and crushed his empty can of beer. "I dunno. He walked out of the door in a white coat. Kind of reminded me of the one you used to wear back in Gravity Falls. Don't all doctors wear white coats?"

Ford nodded and asked, "Have you got a good look at the doctor?"

Stan frowned. "I couldn't see his face. It was fuzzy, like I was looking at him without my glasses. But he did have curly gray hair. Not like an afro, but hanging down like limp noodles."

He looked up and saw Ford scribbling. "You still writing this down, Poindexter?"

"Naturally," Ford replied, finishing his rough sketch of the figure his twin described (a faceless body in a coat). After pocketing the notebook and pencil, Ford looked at his brother. "You know why I'm documenting your dreams."

Stan sighed, "Yeah. I get it. They might be old memories coming back."

Several months ago, Stan tricked the dream demon Bill Cipher into his mind, trapping him so that Ford could use the memory gun to destroy Bill. This reversed the effects of Weirdmageddon in Gravity Falls, but the Stan they knew was gone, his mind wiped clean by the memory gun. Ford, Dipper, Mabel, and Soos were devastated, thinking that they had lost Stan forever.

Miraculously, Stan managed to regain most of his memories before Dipper and Mabel left for Piedmont, but there were still some gaps that no scrapbook could fill or trigger. For instance, there were ten years unaccounted for after their father kicked Stan out of the house (Ford personally thought that those memories were better off forgotten) and a few gaps within the thirty years that Stan lived in Gravity Falls.

During the first month they were at sea, Stan started having vivid and interesting dreams. He would share them with Ford while they sailed towards the Artic Sea. Ford sometimes tuned out his brother's blathering while he was navigating through choppy water, but the one time he was listening, it nearly cost them the boat.

"…and then I woke up in the trunk of a car," Stan shared one afternoon. "And I was pretty scared, right? Then, when I felt the car stop and I hear the thugs get out of the car, I feel my way to one side of the trunk and start chewing away at this rip in the upholstery. Can you believe it? _I chewed my way out of the trunk of a car_ …WOAH!"

Stan yelled as Ford suddenly jerked the ship's wheel in surprise, just barely missing a passing ice floe. Stan lost his balance and landed on his butt, but Ford didn't notice this at first. Stan's last sentence triggered a painful memory: a younger Stan was yelling at him in a dark underground cavern…

 _You don't understand what I'VE been through! I've been to prison in THREE different countries! I once had to chew my way out of the trunk of a car! You think you've got problems? I'VE GOT A MULLET, STANFORD!_

"I'm so sorry!" Ford cried as he helped up his brother.

When he got back on his feet, Stan saw a look of shock on his twin brother's face. "What's wrong, Sixer?" Stan had asked.

"You—you said you chewed your way out of the trunk of a car. In your dream?" Ford asked, excitement bubbling through him.

"Uh, yeah, I did," Stan answered, rubbing his sore behind. "I mean, it was only a dream…"

"I don't think that was just a dream, Stanley." Ford said, looking at his brother with wonder. "Thirty years ago, you once yelled at me that you had to chew your way out of the trunk of a car."

"I did?" Stan said, surprised. "Wait, why was I yelling at you, again?"

Ford winced. He hated to rehash that painful moment time. "It's a long story…" he said.

From then on, Ford picked up a blank notebook and started to write down what Stan dreamed about. Half of the entries seemed to be Stan recalling the ten years he spent drifting from state to state, and those were dreams that neither Stan nor Ford could confirm with certainty (also, most of the memories involved a lot of illegal activities). But there were some dreams that they were able to confirm as memories, like the one where Stan walked outside one afternoon and spotted a "beautiful young man eating out of the trash cans." A chat with Mabel over the ham radio had confirmed that a genetically engineered boy band was released into the wilds of Gravity Falls. A chat with Soos (they left a ham radio at the Mystery Shack) had verified another dream where Stan gave a chubby little boy a screwdriver and a t-shirt. One time, Ford glared at Stan beside him when Dipper confirmed a dream where a kid wearing an itchy wolf-boy costume was dancing as part of the Mystery Shack gallery of oddities.

The white hallway dream/memory was new and currently unconfirmed. When Ford asked around, neither Soos nor the twins in Piedmont could tell him anything about it. Until today, Stan had only dreamed about walking the seemingly endless length of the hallway.

"Ah well," Ford said, picking up the empty cans of beer and chucking them in the waste basket behind him. "You might be able to dream or remember some more by the time we reach California. Come on, clean this mess up; it's almost dinner time."

Stan sighed and proceeded to roll the maps. "Who's gonna play cook tonight?"

Ford grinned and fished a coin out of his pocket. "Want to toss for it? I'll take he—"

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The senior twins nearly jumped; the sound was coming from Ford's wrist. It was the holo-watch, an invention made by Ford. Ford pocketed the coin and raised the watch to his eyes. He pressed something on the watch; a hologram of a globe appeared above the watch. Stan stood up and walked towards brother, the better to see what was playing on the hologram.

"What is it, Sixer?" asked Stan. "What's happening?"

Ford did not answer immediately. There was a red dot on the globe hologram; Ford pressed another button on the watch, and the hologram zoomed in on the location pinpointed by the dot. Ford and Stan gasped in unison.

"Is that…?" Stan started to ask.

"…Gravity Falls?" Ford finished, stunned.

 **XXXXX**

 _Near the outskirts of Gravity Falls, Oregon – February 17_

After Worgel flew off, Melody and Soos rushed to Maegella's side and tried to wave away the purple cloud that still enveloped her. They tried waving their hands at it and through it, but the smoke stayed put. Soos then took off his jacket and flapped it in Maegella's direction. It seemed to help; a portion of the cloud moved, but most of it was still covering the woman. Soos started to flap the coat harder.

" **What's going on out here?** " bellowed a deep voice. The voice echoed across the landscape, startling several birds and making them caw and fly out to the darkening skies.

Startled, Soos and Melody looked around. There was some crashing beyond the woods; trees started falling sideways as a large creature made its way into the clearing. The creature was very tall, very muscular, and very hairy, with the head, horns, and legs of a bull and the torso of the manliest of men. He wore a loincloth around his waist and a red skullcap on his head.

Melody gasped; Soos smiled and kept fanning at the smoke around Maegella. "Hey Chutzpar! How's it hangin', dawg—I mean—'taur?"

Chutzpar stepped closer and punched a giant fist in the air. "Hey there, Soos the Handy! I was summoned from the Man Cave by sounds of a **fight**!" The Manotaur looked around. "Huh, I think I missed it."

"You kinda did, Chutzpar," Soos huffed as he resumed flapping his coat. "Uh, can you help us out here? We're trying to get this crazy cloud off Maegella and chase after the other guy, Wergle."

"Worgel," Melody corrected him. Chutzpar nodded and stepped up to Maegella. He took a deep breath (deep enough that Soos and Melody could feel the air around them move towards Chutzpar) and blew hard at the smoke. The purple smoke moved and dissipated many feet away from them. Maegella sat up, spluttering and coughing; Melody approached the older woman and tentatively patted her on the back.

"Where— _cough!_ —where did he go?" Maegella gasped. She looked around and saw Soos and Melody's (who stopped patting her back) nervous expressions and at the curious, shaggy beast towering over them. Maegella's jaw dropped as she stared at Chutzpar.

"Oh, uh, introductions! Chutzpar, this is my girlfriend Melody," Soos said as he put his jacket back on. "Melody, this is Chutzpar, the Manotaur."

Chutzpar raised his yarmulke and wiggled his ears at Melody, and Melody smiled a little and waved at the Manotaur.

"And Chutzpar, this is Maegella, a magic person from out of town," Soos continued as he helped Maegella to her feet. "Miss Maegella, this is Chutzpar, the Manotaur."

"Oh, uh…pleased to meet you," said Maegella, raising her staff in the air in the same way she greeted Soos and Melody earlier. Chutzpar raised his yarmulke to the blue-robed woman. "Thank you for getting rid of Worgel's smoke trick. You must have very powerful lungs to blow that smoke off! It usually takes a powerful wind spell to do it."

"You're welcome!" said Chutzpar, sounding very pleased with Maegella's praise.

Maegella then turned to Soos and Melody. "You should not have followed," she told them reproachfully. "I almost had him, you know. And he could have hurt you."

Melody tried to shrink inside her jacket. Soos bowed his head. "We're sorry," they said in unison.

"We just wanted to know what's going on," Soos said in a quiet voice. Soos looked up shyly and asked, "Why are you chasing that guy? You said something earlier about 'destroy' something."

Maegella stared at them for a while. Then she shook her head and gave them a weary smile, "It is done. As Maester Gelvin told me, there's no use getting angry about spilled mead. I see you are sincere and I accept your apologies. But I need to resume my search for Worgel and stop him."

"Stop him? From doing what?" Melody asked, her voice a little muffled as half her face was inside her jacket. Maegella reached into her robes and pulled out the Spotting Saucer.

"What I can tell you is that Worgel is looking for something, a powerful object," Maegella said as she raised the Spotting Saucer to her eyes. The blue glow from the activated Saucer illuminated the woman's face from below, making her look frightening. "When the war started a long time ago, one of our members took the object and disappeared from our world, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Somehow, the enemy learned that the object is on this plane of existence, so they sent Worgel to find it and bring it back to Rothezar. I was sent to follow Worgel and stop him."

"Rothezar?" repeated Soos. "Is that, like, where you come from?"

"Yes," Maegella answered. She looked up from the Saucer with worried gray eyes. "If I fail, we are doomed."

Soos, Melody, and Chutzpar did not say anything after this as Maegella consulted with the Spotting Saucer.

"We did see where he flew off to," Melody suddenly piped up. She raised a hand and pointed south. "He went that way!"

Maegella looked at the direction Melody pointed to and at the coordinates on the Spotting Saucer. The Spotting Saucer confirmed Melody's observation. Maegella nodded and stuffed the Saucer back into her robes.

"The wind has quieted, and I can fly safely again," Maegella said. She turned to the other two humans and the Manotaur. "I need to go on ahead, but if you want to help, keep a safe distance behind me! Let us hurry!"

Maegella then tapped the small disc with her staff; it began to grow wider until it was the circumference of a manhole cover. Maegella stepped on the disc and tapped it with her staff. She started floating up until she cleared the trees and zoomed off southwards.

While Maegella floated up, Soos and Melody trotted back down to the road to where the truck was "parked". Chutzpar followed them.

"Aw, man," Soos groaned as he looked at the large tree that was blocking their path. "How are we gonna follow Maegella now?"

Chutzpar started to crack his knuckles and pushed past Soos and Melody. "Allow me."

He walked to one end of the fallen tree. He spat into each of his hands, rubbed them together, and placed them under the trunk. Chutzpar then said "Hup!" as he flipped the fallen tree, which crash landed on the other side of the road. Soos and Melody cheered and run towards the truck.

"Want a lift, Chutzpar?" Soos called out from the window of the truck.

Chutzpar nodded and yelled "Yeah, road trip!" while he climbed up at the back of the truck. As the truck sagged from the weight of the Manotaur, a great crackling sound resounded across the land.

"Oh, sorry! My bad!" Chutzpar said. "I'm too manly for this truck."

"I don't think that was you, Chutzpar," Melody cried, looking out the window. "Look at the sky!"

Soos and Chutzpar looked up. It happened very quickly, but they just saw the darkened sky turn briefly white before darkening again. Soos and Melody looked at each other, stunned.

"Let's go, doods!"

 **XXXXX**

Moments later, the three of them found Maegella. She was hovering in the middle of the road, her staff glowing and raised over her head. She was pointing the light at a point in front of her when the truck pulled up a few feet behind her. Soos, Melody, and Chutzpar alighted from the truck (the back end sprung up violently) and walked over to Maegella.

"What's up, Mage?" said Soos. "Why did you stop?"

Melody stepped close to Maegella and spotted her expression. "Are—are you okay?"

Soos looked at Maegella. The woman was frozen in shock; she was staring at something in front of her. Soos and Melody turned their heads to see what Maegella was looking at.

Several feet away from them was a figure in black kneeling in the snow. He had planted his staff in the ground and was leaning on it. Steam was rising from his crouched form.

Chutzpar sniffed the air. "This guy smells like toasted weasel. I HATE toasted weasel!"

"He was burned?" Melody said, aghast. She turned to Maegella and asked, "What did you do to him?!"

Maegella looked at Melody and said indignantly, "I did nothing to him! One moment, I was catching up to him through the air, the next he seemed to hit some kind of barrier. I heard a loud crackle and was nearly blinded by the light that came from the point where he hit it. Look!"

Maegella jumped off her disc and took a few steps forward. She raised a hand in front of her…

 _ZAP!_

Soos, Melody, and Chutzpar gasped as a brilliant white light flashed in front of them at the point where the hand was raised. Maegella hissed in pain as she drew her hand back, shaking it. She turned to look at the group behind her.

"You—you have set wards here against us?" Maegella asked, shocked.

Melody and Chutzpar looked confused, but Soos clapped a hand to his forehead. "The weirdness magnetism!" he said loudly.

"I beg your pardon," Maegella retorted.

Soos raised his hands in apology and explained, as best as he could recall from Ford's explanation: "It's a—it's a _thing_ that surrounds Gravity Falls, ma'am, like a force field or something. It keeps weirdness in (no offense)! Like, several months ago, this evil triangle came into our dimension and tried to take over the world, but he couldn't leave Gravity Falls because the bubble kept him in…"

"An evil triangle?" Maegella cut in, looking horrified. "This wouldn't be a yellow triangle with one great eye and a black hat?"

Soos and Chutzpar dropped their jaws. "You—you just described Bill Cipher!" Soos cried out, shocked.

Maegella nodded. "We know of this demon. He tried to enter our world thousands of years ago, but he was thwarted by the Founders…but enough of that. I understand now." She turned around to look at Worgel, who was still kneeling in the snow. "I suppose this barrier prevents threats of great power from spilling to the rest of your world. Seeing as Worgel is not as powerful as the Cipher, your 'bubble' seemed to have weakened him, but it still let him pass."

"Who are you calling WEAK?" snarled Worgel. He seemed to have recovered from the shock of passing through the barrier, though he needed to balance himself on his staff. He turned around and sneered at Maegella. "Come at me, wench!"

Maegella snorted. "Take cover!" she told her companions as she assumed a fighting stance. Soos and Melody were lifted off their feet by Chutzpar and carried to the side of the road.

"Have at it!" Maegella shouted at Worgel, swinging her staff in a wide arc.

A large swath of snow rose and headed for Worgel. But at the point where Maegella was zapped by the barrier, the snow dropped back to the ground in a heap.

Maegella gasped as Worgel laughed derisively. He pointed his staff at the woman and cried, " _Koron en' naur!_ "

The end of the staff began to glow like an ember, then a fireball the size of a volleyball launched towards Maegella. Maegella was about to raise her staff to summon a defensive spell, but she had the wind knocked out of her when Chutzpar tackled her to the ground. The fireball missed singeing Chutzpar's shoulder hair as it shot through the darkness, landing somewhere far behind them on the road and getting extinguished in the snow.

Chutzpar and Maegella landed on a snow drift. The Manotaur stood up, snorting and glaring at Worgel. "You nearly burned off my MANLY BODY HAIR!" he roared.

Chutzpar seized a log on the side of the road and chucked it at Worgel, who shrieked in terror and dived to the side. The log crashed to the ground. Then the Manotaur charged, bowing and lowering his head like an enraged bull. Worgel pointed his staff at Chutzpar and cried, " _Koron en' naur!_ "

The staff glowed briefly, then was extinguished. Horrified, Worgel started running clumsily to evade the charge of the Manotaur.

"Wait!" cried Maegella, as she was assisted to her feet by Soos and Melody. "Don't chase him off! I need to bind him and get him back to Rothezar!"

But the Manotaur did not hear her. His horns were nearly touching Worgel when the robed man suddenly twisted around and threw a round object at Chutzpar's head. The object disintegrated on impact; blue smoke enveloped the Manotaur's head. Chutzpar suddenly crashed on the road, making the ground quake and the snow drop from nearby trees.

Melody gasped. "What have you done to him?"

Worgel looked back at them, sneering. "The brute is alive. He is only sleeping."

And just to underline this development, Chutzpar started snoring. It was loud and jarring enough to shake the snow off the rest of the trees. Worgel laughed cruelly and kicked the Manotaur's side. Chutzpar did not respond.

Maegella let out an outraged cry and ran towards the barrier. Behind her, Soos and Melody tried to grab her, but she shook them off. Soos started to follow her while Melody cried, "No, wait!"

 _ZAP!_

The dark environment was briefly illuminated by a blinding flash of light. Soos and Melody were blinded. When the flash subsided, Soos and Melody rubbed their eyes and blinked. Colorful dots marred their vision as they tried to adjust to seeing in the dark.

Melody was the first to recover her sight. She looked ahead of her and gasped; Maegella was sprawled on the ground, seemingly unconscious. She was steaming in the cold from her shocking passage through the barrier. Worgel started walking towards Maegella. From inside his robes, he pulled out a long dagger.

Soos (who had regained his eyesight) and Melody rushed forward, fearing that they might be too far to stop him…

" _NOOOOOOO!_ "

Worgel was tackled from the side by what appeared to be a gigantic, leafy bush. The dagger flew from Worgel's hand and landed in the snow next to Maegella's prone form. A smaller, leaner bush appeared from where the larger bush came from and approached Maegella, who started stirring. The lean bush kneeled next to the woman and started to help her up. Soos and Melody walked closer to the two.

"Who are you, bush-person?" Soos asked in awe.

The lean leafy bush turned its head towards Soos. A pale, freckled face looked out from underneath the foliage.

"Hey Soos, hey Melody!" Wendy Corduroy said in a chipper voice. "Heard a racket out here. What's going on?"

 **XXXXX**

 _Meanwhile, on The Stan O'War II…_

Moments earlier, as Stan watched over Ford's shoulder while he consulted with his machines about the blip that appeared on Ford's holo-watch, the twins jumped as the watch started beeping again.

Ford looked at it. "It happened again!" he said.

"But… _what_ happened again?" Stan asked.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's note:** This is quite a long chapter! I just really want the Stans to get in the story. Don't worry, we'll get to some more action/movement in the next chapters.

Many thanks to thesnadger AT tumblr DOT com for the awesome consultation!


	4. Weirdness Magnetism

**Weirdness Magnetism**

 _Outskirts of Gravity Falls - February 17_

"Wendy!" Soos yelped as he and Melody ran towards the teenager wearing a bush. The two of them lifted the flashlights they brought with them and pointed it ahead of them. Maegella was now on her feet; she leaned on her staff to support herself and rubbed a hand across her forehead.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Wendy asked.

Maegella looked at Wendy and blinked. "I—I am. A little." She peered at the younger woman. "Pardon me, but why are you covered in leaves?"

"Oh, this?" Wendy asked, grinning. She took off the head covering of her bush suit, revealing a mop of bright red hair framing a pretty, freckled face. "It's a ghillie suit. My dad thought winter break would be a good time to teach me and my brothers about winter survival and camouflage."

"Oh, that was your dad chasing off the creepy wizard guy," said Soos matter-of-factly.

"Where are your brothers, Wendy?" Melody asked, looking around.

"It's just me and my dad today. My brothers are sleeping over at their friends' place near the lake." Wendy replied, adding "Lucky little twerps." She peered at the other side of the road. "Is that one of the Manotaurs? Why is he knocked out? What's going on?"

Soos quickly made the introductions: "Wendy, this is Maegella. She's a magic person from some other dimension who appeared at the Mystery Shack. Maegella, this is Wendy. She's a friend of ours. And Chutzpar got knocked out by the other magic guy we were chasing earlier."

Maegella raised her staff in salute, then brought it down and leaned on it again. Melody approached Maegella and asked, "Should you be standing up? That was a nasty shock you got…"

"I am…feeling better," Maegella murmured, shaking her head like she was trying to wake up. She looked up at the road. "Never mind me. We must see to your large friend."

Everyone looked ahead. Chutzpar was still lying down on the road, snoring loudly.

"Are you sure?" Wendy asked Maegella. "We were nearby when we heard the zaps and saw the white flashes. Those must have hurt! And you're kind of smoking."

"Honestly, I am feeling better," Maegella replied, smiling slightly at Wendy's concern. She walked carefully towards the unconscious Manotaur. With each step she took, they noticed that her gait was slowly improving as she reached the large form on the snow. Maegella knelt beside Chutzpar and took off her knapsack. She opened it and rummaged for something inside it as Soos, Melody, and Wendy approached.

"This should work!" Maegella said happily, lifting a clear crystal flask that was slightly bigger than her hand. Inside the bottle was what looked like a reddish-orange powder. Maegella uncorked the flask and tapped some powder on the palm of her gloved hand. She moved in front of Chutzpar; she blew the powder into his face and immediately jumped to one side.

Chutzpar inhaled the powder and sneezed in his sleep. He started blinking and yawning as he slowly woke up.

"I didn't dare give him a higher dose," Maegella murmured as she corked the flask and put it back into her bag. "Or he might not be able to sleep later tonight."

"So," Wendy said, looking everyone. "What's going on?"

While Soos gave Wendy a quick summary of recent events, Maegella walked away from the group. She looked at her staff, then at dark road ahead of her, where Wendy's father chased off Worgel. Behind her, Melody was looking at her curiously.

Wendy whistled when Soos ended his summary. "Wow! Another supernatural adventure in Gravity Falls. Feels kind of weird without Dipper or Mabel around this time."

When Maegella was a few feet away from them, she turned around and pointed her staff at the bag she left on the ground.

" _Tula sinome!_ " she cried.

The bag shifted, then started floating up and towards Maegella. Wendy and Soos stopped talking to observe. Wendy blinked and said, "Cool."

But the bag started losing altitude the closer it approached Maegella, until it dropped to the ground a few inches away from her feet. The woman frowned at the bag and stared at her staff, then looked back at the spot where she made contact with the barrier.

Crunching noises made everyone look back towards the road. Maegella picked up her knapsack and pointed her staff in the direction of the sound. Soos pointed his flashlight towards the source of the crunching. The light revealed the large and leafy form of Manly Dan Corduroy, whose stern, red-bearded face was exposed between curtains of fake foliage. He was larger than Soos, but not as huge as Chutzpar, who stood up and stretched, yawning like he just woke up from a nap.

"Dad, what happened?" Wendy said, looking at her father. "Did you get him?"

Manly Dan shook his head. "Ugh, I LOST him!" he said. (Maegella winced as the large man punctuated the third word with a shout.) "He's fast like a SQUIRREL!"

 _Wendy's father does like to be heard_ , thought Maegella.

"That little runt TRICKED ME!" Chutzpar shouted. He turned to Manly Dan and growled, "Which way did he go? I'm gonna turn him into a squirrel pancake!"

Maegella sighed. "I can still follow him with the Spotting Saucer," she muttered, lifting up a white saucer glowing with strange symbols. "He seems to be heading south. Hmm…at least the Saucer is working."

She pocketed the Saucer into her robes and looked at everyone. "I thank you for assisting this stranger," said Maegella, placing a hand to her chest. "I apologize for this intrusion into your lives, but I need to continue on and stop Worgel in order to save my…"

"We're coming with you!" Soos cut in.

Everyone on the road turned to look at Soos, who adjusted the collar on his jacket. Maegella looked at him in surprise and shook her head. "You have already done so much, Soos. You don't have to…"

Soo cut in again: "You saved me and Melody back there, and we're the reason Worgel escaped, so we owe you big time. And this is our dimension, so you need a guide to help you around with our Earth culture stuff and point you out to the best places to eat. Also, we know a dood who can help you! He knows all about this magic biz and can help you out! We can go back to the Shack and radio him on the—"

"I agree," Melody chipped in. "Though, I don't think we can leave Abuelita alone at the Shack."

Soos clapped his hands to his cheeks. "Abuelita!"

"Guys, can we discuss this somewhere warmer?" asked Wendy. She put her headgear back on; the temperatures were getting lower and snow started falling again.

"Yeah, let's go back to the Mystery Shack," agreed Soos.

"But what about Maegella? And the—uh, force field?" Melody asked, looking from Maegella to the part of the road where she collapsed. Everyone now looked at Maegella, who was also looking at the spot where she fell. She looked thoughtful.

"I suppose, if it is a force field, then we wouldn't have been able to cross it," Melody continued thinking aloud.

"I wonder…" Maegella murmured. In a moment, her expression changed to one of purpose; she straightened up and started walking back to Gravity Falls.

Wendy, Soos and Melody barred her path. Chutzpar and Manly Dan looked at each other in puzzlement.

"Wait just a minute," Wendy began. "If you walk back there, you're gonna get zapped!"

"I think not," Maegella said calmly. "If what Soos says about keeping magic in is true, then I should not be harmed when I return."

Maegella gently pushed past them and walked forward. She stopped just before the crucial point. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to where the barrier should be. Behind her, four humans and a Manotaur watched with bated breath.

Maegella's hand moved forward in space. Nothing happened.

She smiled grimly.

"I thought so."

 **XXXXX**

 _Meanwhile, on the Stan O'War II…_

"What was it, Ford?" asked Stan. "What's happening in Gravity Falls?"

Ford did not seem to hear his brother. He was staring fixedly at the images and figures on the monitor in front of him.

"Incredible…" he mumbled, looking at the screen and then at the notes in his hands, where he wrote hastily scribbled computations. "I mean, I never got to observe this months ago when they tried to leave, but it seems there's another variable at play here…"

Stan huffed and clapped his brother sharply on the shoulder. "Hey, Earth to Einstein!"

Ford jumped. "Ow! Sorry, what did you say?"

"Didja find out what your watch was trying to tell you about Gravity Falls?" Stan asked loudly.

"Oh, yes," Ford said, a little flustered and very excited. He turned around to face his grumpy-faced twin. "Just have to give you a bit of a backstory here…"

"Sounds long and boring," Stan muttered, but he took a seat next to his brother all the same.

Ford didn't rise to the taunt. He turned the monitor slightly in order to show Stan what he was looking at: an aerial view of the map of Oregon. A red circle on it was labeled "Gravity Falls" and underneath this map were three smaller windows.

"What are those for?" Stan asked, referring to the little windows. "They look like those screens used in those spy movies Dipper used to watch that measured science-y things."

"These monitor energy readings around the world," Ford explained. "How did you think we were able to find that ginormous baby sleeping in the Arctic a couple of months ago?"

Stan shuddered. "Man, that baby was huge! And creepy! Good thing you listened to me and the kids and left him alone."

Ford nodded. From what Dipper and Mabel had shared over the radio, it was best to leave _that_ mystery alone. Fortunately, there were other mysteries and treasures that he and Stanley had found in the course of their nautical adventures.

"Anyway, where was I?" Ford adjusted the glasses that slipped crookedly on his nose. "Years ago, I discovered that Gravity Falls has a natural and powerful property that is unique to anything that can be found on Earth; I called it 'Gravity Falls' Natural Law of Weirdness Magnetism'. I studied it extensively and even came up with an equation for it. It helped to explain why Gravity Falls was such a hotspot for all the weird things happening in town and why it drew in a lot of odd and wondrous creatures to the area. That same property also produced a barrier that prevented Bill Cipher and his henchmaniacs from leaving Gravity Falls during Weirdmageddon."

Stan shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms. "What about that demon Dorito? I thought we got rid of him months ago, along with my memories?"

"We did—well, you did, which saved the world." Ford nodded at Stan and smiled, which helped to ease some of Stan's discomfort from being reminded of Bill. Ford pointed to the monitor and continued, "The warnings we received earlier were triggered by an entity crossing the barrier."

"Crossing the barrier?" echoed Stan incredulously. "Are you telling me they got through? I thought you said there was a force field around town!"

"I did, Stanley, now calm down," Ford said reassuringly. "I'm not done explaining yet. And the barrier doesn't keep _everything_ weird in. If that had been the case, Mabel's merman friend would not have been able to leave Gravity Falls and swim back out into the ocean last summer."

The elder Pines twins had learned about Mermando from Mabel and Dipper. This was after they found the merman entangled in the net that Stan had cast out during their first week at sea. When Mermando found out about their familial ties with Mabel, the merman assigned them an honor guard of manatees to escort them to the Arctic Ocean.

"So, what exactly is it? Last I checked, barriers keep things from getting out." Stan muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I mentioned that there is an equation that explains the Weirdness Magnetism," said Ford. "This equation can collapse the barrier, and part of it explains how the barrier works."

Stan grimaced. "Didn't know _Math_ was that powerful."

Ford just grinned. "I won't write it down, but what I can tell you is that the barrier becomes as powerful as the amount of weirdness that tries to pass through it."

"What?"

Ford sighed, rubbing his chin. "How do I explain this? Okay—remember what I said about the barrier preventing Bill and his henchmaniacs from leaving Gravity Falls?"

"Yeah," said Stan.

"The reason that happened is due to their high levels of weirdness, and the barrier became strong enough to contain them, to keep them in Gravity Falls! Now, on the other end of the spectrum we have Mermando the merman…"

"I don't know what Mabel saw in him," muttered Stan. "He's half a tuna."

Ford ignored him and continued: "When he swam up the river and back into the ocean, Mermando was actually able to leave Gravity Falls."

"How come?" asked Stan, leaning forward in his chair looking confused. "He's half a fish! That's not weird enough for Gravity Falls?"

"Apparently not," replied Ford. "I spoke with Mermando before he left to summon our manatee escorts. He reached the ocean without incident, not counting the times he was chased by some excited fishermen and a bear."

Stan leaned back on his chair, looking at the monitor but not really seeing. Then he looked at Ford.

"So what you're trying to tell me is, the barrier comes up when something super weird tries to leave Gravity Falls, but nothing happens when some run-of-the-mill weirdo like Mermando decides to high-tail it out of town." He slapped his knee and chuckled. "High-tail. Heh!"

Ford shook his head at his brother's lousy joke. "You pretty much have it."

"Yep, this noggin is still useful," Stan said proudly, tapping his head. "But you said something got through, and your watch picked it up. What caused _THAT_?"

"That's the interesting thing," said Ford. He stood up and beckoned his brother to follow him. Ford headed to the direction of the trawler's bridge and continued, "After speaking with Mermando, I have considered another possibility: the barrier works on non-Earth beings."

Stan stood up abruptly. "Say wha?"

"Non-Earth beings," Ford repeated. "Visitors from another dimension."

He stopped and looked at Stan. "We need to make some calls."

 **XXXXX**

 _Later, at the Mystery Shack_

Abuelita just finished preparing for dinner when she heard a faint noise coming from outside. She peered out of the window and saw a pair of headlights illuminating the path to the Shack.

"Ah, the children are home," she said, placing a plate of fried chicken on the table. She walked out of the kitchen towards the front door of the Shack in the gift shop.

When Abuelita opened the door, she let out a soft gasp.

Not one but two trucks stopped to park in front of the Shack. Soos and Melody alighted from the first truck, and there seemed to be a third person with them, covered in what looked like dark blue blankets.

The second group of people alighting from the second truck were covered in what looked like a layer of leaves. The second truck gave a violent jerk as an enormous being jumped off the back, making the ground shake a little when it hit the ground.

Abuelita realized that she needed to check the pantry to see what she could cook for three more people and what appeared to be a bull-man.

" _M'ijo_ , _m'ija_! You come back with guests," said Abuelita as she was bussed on the cheek by Soos and Melody.

"Hi, Abuelita," said Soos. "Sorry we're late, but we had a situation and we kind of need to have a meeting over dinner. You remember Wendy and her dad?"

"Good evening, Mrs. Ramirez!" Wendy called out.

"Good EVE-ning!" Manly Dan half-yelled.

" _Buenas noches_ ," said Abuelita, putting a finger in her ear to alleviate the ringing.

Soos pointed out the other two guests: "And here's Chutzpar and Maegella. Maegella's new in town."

Behind Manly Dan, Chutzpar waved and said, "Good evening!"

"Good evening," greeted the woman in the blue blankets. "Thank you for your hospitality, good madam."

Abuelita looked at everyone and led the way into the Shack. "Come in, come in. _M'ijo, m'ija_ , help your Abuelita get some more food from the pantry…"

"I would like to help," Maegella said. "It is the least I can do in exchange for your hospitality."

An hour later, everyone sat down for dinner. Abuelita was very impressed by the Maegella woman. She was very helpful and for a reason Abuelita could not explain, the food preparation was completed in half the time. There also seemed to be more food in the pantry than she remembered.

Perhaps Soos or Melody had stocked up on supplies while she wasn't looking, bless them.

When everyone had finished eating, and the plates and cutlery were cleared from the table, Wendy sat forward and looked at Maegella sitting across the table from her. The teenager went straight to business.

"Soos told me that you got here to follow some creep and stop the end of your world," Wendy began, looking hard at the older woman. "Says that there's something in our world that Mr. Creepy wants. Can you tell us what it is?"

Maegella started back at Wendy, calm gray eyes meeting dark green eyes.

Melody, who sat next to Maegella, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please," she said. "We want to help you."

Beside Melody, Soos nodded.

Maegella turned to look at Melody, then at everyone seated at the table. They were all nodding when Melody said that they wanted to help. Maegella looked at the tabletop. From everything she had learned about this plane of existence, she knew she would need their help to reach the place where the object was hidden.

She made her decision.

Maegella picked up her knapsack and rummaged through it. She pulled out a small glass orb and placed it on the table.

"To tell you what it is, I need to start from the beginning…"

 **XXXXX**

 _Piedmont, California_

They had just finished having dinner. Mabel trudged up the stairs holding a tray. On the tray were a plate of cookies and two mugs of hot milk. Mabel thought that a plate of cookies might make Dipper feel better. Earlier, Mom had gone up to check on him and coax him into eating some chicken soup. She later told Mabel and Dad that if the fever doesn't break by tomorrow morning, they will have to take him to the hospital.

 _That bites!_ Mabel thought. _My brother can't be sick during winter break! Not with the Grunkles sailing in to California soon!_

She reached the top of the stairs and turned to the right. She placed the tray on the floor and opened the door.

"Hey, Dipper," Mabel called out, turning on the light before picking up the tray. "I brought you some coo…kies…"

Mabel was not conscious of letting go of the tray. It crashed on the floor at her feet, milk and cookies and broken crockery making a mess on the floor.

"DIPPER!"

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** Don't ask me to list the equation. I don't know either!


	5. The Guardian

**The Guardian**

 **XXXXX**

 _The Mystery Shack_

Everyone looked at the glass orb that Maegella set on the table. Then, like a fortune-teller with her crystal ball, she waved her hands over the orb, murmuring softly. She withdrew her hands when the clear orb started to glow.

From its center, a semi-transparent form began to emerge. When it completed rising out of the orb, it was that of a golden human-shaped statue wearing a conical helmet that covered what could have been a face, with slits for where the eyes should be over the face guard. The figure was depicted wearing some kind of full-body armor. On its left forearm was a long oblong shield, about the same length as its torso. Its right hand was holding a broadsword, the sword tip pointing at the ground. On the chest of the statue were 5 strange symbols, arranged in a circle.

"What is that?" asked Soos in an awed voice. "Is that a robot? Is it holding a _gun-sword_?"

Wendy shook her head. "Soos, I don't think that's a gun-sword…"

"That is Mek-Death, the Guardian of Rothezar" answered Maegella. "Thousands of years ago, my people were at war with strange beings from another planet…"

" _Aliens_?!" Wendy interrupted. "You were invaded by aliens?"

"More of attacked without warning," Maegella replied patiently. She looked at Soos. "You were surprised earlier when I described the demon Bill Cipher to you. We know of him because he tried to enter _our_ world many years ago."

Everyone else on the table gasped. Maegella turned to the golden statue turning around slowly over the crystal orb.

"Back then, there were five kingdoms, each ruled by a leader with the gift of magic and wisdom…"

"Oh, are you a leader?" Melody asked, impressed.

"Wait, are all of you in Rothezar magical?" Soos asked at the same time.

Maegella chuckled.

"I am flattered that you would think so, Melody, but I am a mere soldier in the war, not a leader," the older woman said, smiling. "And to answer your question Soos, not all the people in Rothezar are magical. There are more non-magical folk than magical, actually. Anyway, these Leaders were more powerful than I can ever hope to be."

Maegella paused to clear her throat. "Going back to my story: we are not sure of how it happened or when, but our historians learned that the Cipher managed to trick one of the Leaders into creating a gateway into our plane of existence. Fortunately, the plot was foiled before the gateway could be completed, and whatever what already built was destroyed. But the Cipher must have been furious at being thwarted, for a few years later, invaders from another world came to ours and attacked the five kingdoms."

"Woah," said Wendy. "How did they know that evil triangle sent those invaders?"

"When the first wave was defeated, they found his likeness on their ships," explained Maegella, waving a hand over the orb. The statue disappeared and was replaced by the image of a wrecked, triangle-shaped ship. On one wing was a faded yellow triangle with one giant eye.

"The invaders were numerous and the loss of life would have been devastating if each Kingdom did not have a Sigil of Power protecting everyone within the walls," Maegella continued soberly. "Eventually, the Leaders banded together and proposed to create a weapon that would help win the tide of war. They assembled all the magic smiths and carvers from their kingdoms and carved the guardian from one side of a mountain. When they were finished, the five Leaders each took their kingdom's magic Sigil and placed it on the guardian, animating it. They created Mek-Death, and the guardian drove off the invaders. After the war was won, the Leaders hid Mek-Death and took the Sigils, concealing them across the new kingdom they have founded until such time as the guardian will be needed to protect us from otherworldly threats."

Maegella waved her hand over the orb again. The triangular ship disappeared, but the orb was still glowing.

"Since then, we were never bothered by otherworldly invaders. There have been some wars in our history, but nothing so bad that we needed to summon Mek-Death again. Until thirteen years ago, when Durok the Deceiver came into power."

She waved her hands over the orb again. From its center, the semi-transparent head and torso of a man in black robes began to emerge. He had long gray hair tied back into a braid, a long face with wide, manic eyes and deep purple eyebags, and a thin mustache under a large nose.

"He looks unfortunate," Wendy said dryly. Melody tried to stifle a snort.

Maegella looked at the figure with disgust. "He is the reason we are at war," she growled. "I do not know why he was elected the new Leader fourteen years ago (I voted someone else), but during his first week in power, he seemed to have gone mad. Or, he was already mad and no one had noticed until it was too late, I cannot say…"

"What did he do?" Melody asked. She was a little unnerved by Maegella's controlled rage while she talked about this guy.

"It seemed reasonable at first: he announced that he wanted to strengthen our defenses against another attack on our world. He made it mandatory for all magic folk to report to the Leader's Hall to make preparations, but their family and friends never heard from them again. I received the summons myself, and was on my way to the Hall when I was stopped by the Resistance. At first, I thought they were traitors, but then they showed me what Duroc would have done to me if I had reached the Hall…"

Maegella paused, glaring at the floating image of Duroc. Wendy, who was sitting across from Maegella, was the one who noticed her shiver a little.

"What did he do to them?" she asked cautiously.

Maegella did not answer immediately. Her ungloved hands gripped the blue staff tightly. Wendy was about to tell her "Sorry" when Maegella spoke.

She spoke so softly they all had to lean in to hear her. "He—he was draining them of their magical essence…to try to find the Sigils of the Five Founders. He wanted to revive Mek-Death and take over the world."

Maegella looked up. The people and the Manotaur around the table were shocked. Melody was one of the first to recover.

"Did he find them?" Melody asked. "All of them?"

Surprisingly, Maegella smirked. It looked more out of triumph than humor.

"By the time we stormed the Hall to try to stop him and save our brethren, Duroc found one of the Sigils. Yes, I joined the Resistance when I saw what Duroc was doing to my fellows. We freed the prisoners and evacuated them from the Hall. I and a few others accompanied Maester Gelvin, one of the leaders of the Resistance, to search the Hall for Duroc. To cut a long story short, we found Duroc and the first Sigil. While we fought Duroc and his horde, Maester Gelvin somehow took the first Sigil and escaped with it. That was the last time I saw him. That was the last time _anyone_ saw him. It was as though he and the Sigil disappeared from the world."

Maegella sighed, running a hand through her dark red hair. "We have been at war ever since. Maester Gelvin's disappearance did not stop Duroc from trying to find the rest of the Sigils. We recently learned that he found the other four and somehow learned the location of the fifth missing Sigil."

"It's HERE?!" yelled Manly Dan in reaction. His sudden outburst made everyone in the room jump. Chutzpar scowled at Dan and started picking up the pieces of the chair he broke after jumping in surprise.

"Yes, it is here," Maegella confirmed, rubbing her ears. "We arrived just after Worgel has stepped through the portal. Of the five of us, I was the only one to have reached it before it closed. The next thing I knew, the portal opened into a cavern and Worgel blasted a hole above us to reach the surface…

At this, Maegella noticed that Wendy was giving Soos a strange, tense look—a look that bespoke of a shared knowledge. She turned to look at Soos and spotted a similar look on his face before he noticed her looking at him. He immediately looked away.

She continued: "We had faced each other above ground, prepared to fight—until I heard screaming from Melody and Soos as they were falling back into the cavern. I had to help them first before I caught up with him and…then we encountered the barrier."

"And then Dad tackled Worgel and drove him outta town," Wendy finished for her. She looked around the room. "So, what do we do now?"

Before Maegella could say something, they heard something beep nearby. Soos jumped out of his chair and retrieved what looked like a small cellphone from his pocket. Maegella thought it was a very thin box to make such noise.

The large man-child looked at the square thing in his hand and said, "What timing, it's the Stans! They're trying to call us on the ham radio. Let's go talk to them, doods."

Soos led the way from the kitchen to the office. Chutzpar decided to stay in the kitchen with Abuelita, as he couldn't fit through the entryway leading to the office. Soos opened the door and turned on the lights.

The office was small and a little musty. Soos hadn't changed the interior of it since the two Stans left: the busted copier machine was on one side of the room, there were a stack of boxes on the opposite side next to the Miser & Son safe, which housed the deed to the Shack. On the other end of the room, behind the desk, was the portrait of Stanley Pines in full Mr. Mystery regalia.

Maegella blinked and grasped her staff tightly in her hands as she walked into the small room.

"Who is that?" she asked. Soos had approached the desk and uncovered the ham radio that was on top of the desk, turning it on and fiddling the dials.

Wendy followed her and looked at the portrait. "That's Stanley Pines. He used to run the Mystery Shack for ages, then he left the place to Soos so that he could go treasure-hunting with his twin brother."

"Twin…brother," Maegella repeated softly.

Wendy nodded. "Yeah, he has a twin brother named Stanford. Funny enough, Stanford disappeared into another dimension eons ago and came back out from the same place you did."

"Di—did he now?" said Maegella, stuttering a little. "How interesting."

"Yep," continued Wendy, who didn't comment on Maegella's stutter. "Stanford's the guy Soos was talking about earlier when we were outside. He's super smart, and he knows all about magic stuff…well, the ones we've got here. Not sure about your magic stuff."

Maegella looked away from the portrait to observe Soos, who was fiddling around with a dark box on top of the desk.

"Paladin Radmaster to Stan O'War II, this is Paladin Radmaster to Stan O'War II. Come in, over" Soos said into the microphone of the ham radio. Then he looked at the mic in his hand and beamed. "I feel like such a spy with this ham radio!"

The radio gave a crackling sound. Then a deep, raspy voice emanated from the radio. "This is the Stan O'War, over. Soos, is that you? And what's a paraffin crabcaster? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Hey, Mr. Pines!" said Soos cheerfully into the radio. "You'll never believe what just happened here…"

"A being or two from another dimension tried to get out of town?" interjected Stan. Everyone in the room paused to look at each other. Maegella raised a red eyebrow.

"How did you know?" asked Soos in awe.

Stan huffed in amusement. "You forget who I'm with, Soos. The two Fords loaded up the boat with nerd gadgets before we left. They all went haywire twice today. So, have you seen who tried to get out of town?"

Soos answered, "Yeah…two magic people popped out from the Portal room in the deep basement! It seems there's some kind of magic thing they're looking for on Earth. The other guy wants it to power up this giant stone robot and take over their world; he got through, and then he got zapped by the barrier, but then Chutzpar chased him and he got knocked out and then Manly Dan started chasing him, but he got away…"

"Like a SQUIRREL!" Manly Dan butted in.

"Dad!" Wendy groaned.

"…yeah, like a squirrel," agreed Soos. "And the other one, Mae—"

At this point, the old copier machine made a sudden ear-splitting screech, the kind of sound a copier makes when something is jammed between the cylinders. Maegella stepped away from it, looking sheepish.

"—ella!" Soos finished abruptly. "Sorry Mr. Pines! The copier is acting up again."

"Yeesh," muttered Stan. "My hearing aid is going to need calibratin' after this."

"So, Mr. Pines, is the other Mr. Pines there?" asked Soos. "We're thinking this magic quest thing is right up his alley."

"He's around here somewhere; he's checking up on the fuel and other nerd gadgets to get us ready to head back to Oregon."

"They're coming back here?" Melody said in surprise.

As though Stan had heard Melody, he continued, "We're heading back to see what's going on out there. Plan A was to head to the Port of Brookings and park the Stan O' War II over there before driving out to Gravity Falls, but I'm thinking we're going to go with Plan B. It's about a two-hour drive from Gravity Falls to Brookings, and I'm thinking we get down to business, bring over the other guy to Brookings and hear out what they have to say."

"But, Mr. Pines…" Soos began, but he was cut off by Maegella placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the red-haired woman.

"I agree with his 'Plan B', Soos," said Maegella. "We must stop Worgel from reaching the hidden Sigil and returning with it to Rothezar. And if you think these two men can assist us, all the better that we make haste. I will meet with them at this Brookings place."

Wendy approached the desk. "But you'll get zapped by the barrier, Maegella."

Maegella breathed in deeply and exhaled. "I will manage. I will only use magic when necessary. And Worgel isn't the only one who carries a bag of tricks around," she said, grinning and lifting her knapsack.

Wendy crossed her arms. "Okay. But you're going to need back-up. I'm coming with you."

"WHAT?!" yelled Manly Dan. Wendy groaned in annoyance and went to drag her gigantic father out of the room. "I'll tell you why, Dad…" she started to say as she closed the door.

"Soos?" Stan called out from the radio. "You still there?"

Soos looked at Maegella. "I want to come with you, too," he said. Then he looked at Melody with a pleading look in his eyes. "I mean, we owe you big-time…"

Melody looked back at Soos, then back at Maegella. "We'll work out the details," Melody said, smiling at Soos.

Soos smiled and turned back to the ham radio.

"Mr. Pines, we're going for Plan B!"

 **XXXXX**

 _The Stan O'War II_

Stan hooked the mic back on the ham radio and leaned back on his chair. The kids back in Gravity Falls have settled on meeting him and Stanford at the Port of Brookings tomorrow morning with their new dimension-hopping friend. He wondered how Wendy managed to convince her intimidating father to let her come along with Soos and this "Ella" person and even drive them to the Port. The teenager has moxie, he had to admit.

Just as Stan was about to stand and see what was taking Ford so long, he heard footsteps approaching the bridge. Stan turned around and saw his brother's head appear as he climbed up the steps.

"How did it go, Stanley?" Ford asked. He was wiping his hands on a dirty rag.

"It's all set, Stanford," Stan replied, standing up and stretching a bit. "Soos and Wendy are meeting us at the Port of Brookings tomorrow with their new friend from 'out of town'." Stan made air quotes as he said the last three words. "They didn't believe me when I told them that we'll be at the Port by tomorrow morning, but I did tell them what you told me to tell them."

Ford blinked. "They're meeting us halfway with the visitor?" he said, surprised. Then after reflecting about it for a moment, he shrugged and placed the dirty rag in a bin near the ship's wheel. "Probably for the best. Did you find out who they are and why they were here?"

Stan suddenly looked uncomfortable and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, I didn't get to talk to her directly, but Soos said she's here on some kind of quest. She's chasing another perp who's trying to find some kind of magic doodad that could cause the end of their world."

Ford raised an eyebrow. "And the 'doodad' is in _our_ dimension? Fascinating…and did you say 'her'? Does she have a name?"

"Soos was about to tell me, but he kind of got cut off and all I heard was 'Ella'." Stan replied. He turned to an open map in front of him. "So, how are we getting to Brookings by tomorrow morning?"

"Ella?" repeated Ford, frowning. The name triggered a memory.

 _He woke up submerged in cool water save for his face. Everything was bright and blurry; he wasn't wearing his glasses. He started thrashing about, trying to get out, trying to find a foothold. A soft, calm voice came from nowhere, telling him not to be afraid, he was safe…_

"Stanford?"

Ford gave a start and shook his head. Stan was looking at him with concern. _It couldn't be, that wasn't…_ "Uh, sorry. Just…wait, what were you saying?"

Stan looked at him in consternation. "Uh, I was asking you how we're getting to Brookings by tomorrow morning. We're kind of far out north in the Pacific Ocean from Brookings."

"Oh, that!" Ford said brightly, snapping out of his reverie. He walked towards the ship's wheel and pressed the middle of it. Behind the wheel, a hidden compartment with a row of buttons popped out from overhead. Ford pressed one of them; Stan yelled "What the heck?!" as he heard a loud clanging and the screech of metal on metal above their heads.

Ford grinned at his twin. "That's the mast folding down," he explained loudly in an effort to be heard over the racket. "Just need to reduce drag before we start heading to Brookings."

"Drag?!" yelled Stan, who looked at his brother with a mixture of fear and confusion. "Ford what are you-?"

"You might need to take a seat and buckle up, Stanley!" Ford yelled. He didn't seem to have heard what Stan was saying. He was pressing some buttons on another console that appeared behind the ship's wheel. The monitor showed the part of the Pacific Ocean they were currently sitting on, with a dashed line mapping out a route from their position to Brookings, Oregon.

"Good thing we're already facing the right direction!" Ford said brightly as Stan scrabbled for the nearest chair bolted to the floor, cursing a little when he realized that it didn't offer a seatbelt.

"Ford, _what are you doing_?! What did you do to our boat?!" Stan yelled.

As if in response, Ford pressed a few more buttons. The sides of the trawler shook a little, then its front began to rise at an angle; Stan could hear and somewhat sense something opening on the sides of the boat. Stan peered out of the window of the bridge; by the outdoor lights, he could see the outline of a large, rounded shape over the rails of the trawler. A yellow-red glow was visible on its other end, and Stan was now registering the sound of a large, monstrous engine revving up.

Stan's eyes grew wide. "Is that what I think it is?!"

He looked towards his brother, who was now sitting on a sturdy chair that seemed to have popped up from the floor when he wasn't looking. Ford looked back at Stan, grinning widely.

"Fidds and I added afterburners to the old girl! Now hang on and enjoy the ride!"

Ford punched the last button and pushed the throttle forward.

The Stan O'War II roared and then zoomed across the water, leaving behind a red-gold streak and Stan's hollering in its wake.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note** : My theory here is that the Portal room and the events of Weirdmageddon created a convenient path for a couple of dimension-jumpers. Fordsy, you should have checked the area more thoroughly before heading out to the open sea with Stan. I'm also switching observations between the characters here, which explains the length of this chapter.


	6. The Meet-up

**The Meet-up**

 _Early morning of February 18_ _th_

The four people in the truck were quiet, each lost in thought as they looked out of the windows.

After a lengthy discussion the previous night, it was agreed that Soos and Wendy will accompany Maegella to the Port of Brookings. During the radio call with Stan, Melody decided to stay at the Mystery Shack to take care of the tours and Abuelita and Wendy had convinced her father by telling him that she will be able to apply everything he taught her on this trip (she also added to Melody that this was her chance to skip winter survival training). Chutzpar had offered to check in on the Shack while Soos and Wendy were out; everyone thought his excuse was really a cover-up to visit Abuelita and sample more of her delicious cooking. No one thought to tell the Manotaur that they knew why—to his face.

Manly Dan was driving them to their destination in his personal pick-up truck, glowering at the road as though it had insulted him, his family, and his favorite band. Soos rode shotgun and was holding a large duffel bag full of his stuff on his lap. Wendy and Maegella shared the seat at the back, with Maegella looking a little worse for wear. The windows of the truck were rolled halfway down, letting the cold air circulate inside the cab. Without realizing it, they had passed the barrier over half an hour ago while Maegella was still in the vehicle, surprising and blinding everyone else inside. The smell of singed hair and burned cloth still permeated the cab of the truck. Soos later mused that it was a good thing the truck didn't short out during the event.

Wendy fished a package of baby wipes out of her backpack and handed it to Maegella.

"Take one, Maegella," she said. "We use this for cleaning up when there isn't time to go into a bathroom and you need to freshen up."

Maegella took one wipe and rubbed it across her face and neck. The citrus scent wafted up her nose. It smelled cleansing.

"How are you feeling?" Wendy asked her. "This is the second shock you got since last night."

"Better, thank you," Maegella replied, smiling faintly. She looked at the crumpled wipe; Wendy took it from her and tossed it carelessly on the floor of the truck.

"We'll clean that later when we reach Brookings," the teenager said flippantly. Wendy adjusted her blue-and-white cap on her head and rubbed the back of her neck, thinking of something else to say. Then she straightened up and looked at her seatmate. "So, uh, did you get a good night's sleep at the Shack?"

Maegella nodded. She was offered a place to sleep in Melody's room, where she was able to dust off her robes and refresh inside the bathroom. Melody had offered to lend her some spare clothes so that they could wash the ones she was wearing; Maegella gently declined and showed the younger woman how she can clean her clothes with a wave of her staff. Melody was very impressed.

Maegella looked at Soos and Wendy. She felt fortunate that she had fallen into such good and generous company in this strange world.

"I am very grateful for your hospitality," said Maegella. Thinking of something else to say, she added: "The washing room was very interesting."

"Oh, you mean the bathroom?" asked Soos, turning around to look at Maegella.

"Yes," she replied, smiling. "Back in Rothezar, the chamber pot cubicles are separate from the washtubs. I've never seen a washtub with a raining spout before."

"Raining spout? Oh, you mean the shower!" said Wendy, chuckling. "You guys don't have showers?"

"Well, no. I mean, the washtubs serve the purpose for washing, but the rainspout—I mean, the shower is also useful. It's like focusing rain on yourself."

Wendy and Soos had equal looks of amusement and fascination on their faces.

"So, what about cars?" Soos asked eagerly. "What do you use when you need to get around places? Do you all use those discs and fly all over the place?"

"You mean the Hover Discs?" Maegella asked. "Well, you need to have magic to operate them. The non-magic folk would make use of carriages and the _lobros_ …"

"Low-what?" Wendy tried to repeat.

Maegella blinked. "Oh, they're big animals with long necks, long legs, and flowing manes and tails."

"Like horses?" asked Soos.

"Horses?" Maegella repeated, a little confused.

Wendy pulled out her cellphone, pressed a few keys, and handed it over to Maegella. "This is what Soos is talking about: a horse."

Maegella gingerly took the small device. It showed a clear picture of an animal standing next to a woman. "This is a horse? How extraordinary! It looks like our _lobros_ , but smaller!"

"Smaller?" repeated Wendy. "How big _are_ your horses?"

Maegella looked at Wendy and simply asked, "How tall is Chutzpar?"

Soos and Wendy went "Ooooh" at the same time. Maegella chuckled. She found their curiosity with the world she came from charming, for some reason.

Wendy adjusted her sitting position to look at Maegella and said, "I've been meaning to ask: what's with all the blue?" She gestured to Maegella's blue robes, blue gloves, and the blue staff. "Is this like a uniform or something or do you just REALLY like blue?"

Maegella smiled. "It confirms my membership to the Blue Guild."

Wendy stared at her. "Uh, okay…"

Soos piped up, "What's the Blue Guild all about? Are there other Guilds? Do you get to choose where to sign up? Do you have tournaments?"

"I will endeavor to answer all of your questions, Soos," Maegella laughed. "Firstly, the Blue Guild is composed of mages who watch over the Healing Springs of Rothezar. Our primary element is water, hence why we are called the Blue Guild."

"Ohhh," breathed Wendy.

"And there are four other Guilds, each with their specific specialty. No, we actually do not get to choose our Guild; potential mages are tested to see what their primary element or strength is and are sorted accordingly."

"Element or strength?" Wendy repeated. "What do you mean? What are the other Guilds all about?"

"Mages are first tested to see if they have a primary element. If they do not have mastery of the element, they are tested to see what strengths they have. Let's see: there is the Red Guild whose primary element is fire. They are in charge of procuring and sharing knowledge and educating the people."

"Ugh, _school_!" Wendy mumbled in disgust.

Maegella decided to ignore this and continued: "The Green Guild are our gardeners and take care of both the forest and grow our food. They are attuned to plants, and sometimes they would consult with us when there is a draught, because they need our element. For the care of the creatures, we have the Yellow Guild. And then there is the Gray Guild, who take care of our history and can see the future. They have the smallest number; there's just ten of them…" She paused, reflecting on this, and then added, "Actually, there are nine left, since Maester Gelvin disappeared."

"So, you got tested and passed for water," said Soos in fascination. Behind him, Wendy tried to stifle a snicker. "When did you get tested?"

"I was tested at the age of ten. The caretakers at the orphanage found me making a whirlpool out of a puddle and—"

"Orphanage?" Soos cut in, wide-eyed. The fascination on his face was replaced with some sort of shock. Possibly pity.

Maegella looked at him calmly. "Yes, I was an orphan, Soos," she answered. "The orphanage outside of Rothezar was my home until I started showing signs of magic. Then I was tested to see which Guild I should belong to and I was a match for the Blue Guild. I have lived and trained with the Guild ever since."

She looked around at them. Soos looked at her with wide eyes; she was shocked to find that he was close to tears, his lower lip trembling. Wendy was looking down, looking uncomfortable. And though Maegella couldn't see it, Manly Dan's angry scowl was replaced with a mournful scowl.

"Aw, jeez," Soos blurted out, now looking utterly guilty. "I'm so sorry, Maegella, I didn't mean to…"

Maegella shook her head, reaching out to pat Soos' shoulder. "You didn't know. And I was quite happy growing up at the Blue Guild. They became my new family. Life was good—until the war started…"

She looked around her; it seemed announcing her background as an orphan had dampened the mood in the truck. She decided to switch topics.

"So, can anyone tell me why all your houses are square?" she asked.

 **XXXXX**

 _He ran as fast as he could, getting scratched by the brambles along the way. There was a patch of woods between the police station and the Shack, hidden away from the main roads where the agents were sure to be on the lookout for him. He can't afford to get caught. He had to be there when it happens!_

 _He reached the Shack; the place was no longer swarming with agents. They probably scattered around town, looking for him. He looked around before crossing the lot to the front door of the Shack._

 _He opened the door—and found himself looking at the length of a white corridor._

 _Shocked, he turned around; the door of the Shack was gone, replaced by a white wall. He was back at the end of the white corridor. He looked down; his suit wasn't rumpled and torn anymore, and he realized, as he touched his head, that he wasn't wearing his fez. The feeling of worry and anxiety returned, but this wasn't due to the Portal anymore, but for something else. Something equally as close to him._

 _He started walking. There were the gray doors and the gray chairs along the sides. He looked ahead of him; he was about to reach the end of the corridor when a flash of white light suddenly appeared from the right._

 _That was new. He reached the end of the corridor and turned to the right…_

The blast of a foghorn woke Stanley up with such a start, he hit his head on the roof of his bunkbed.

"Ow!"

Grumbling, Stanley carefully rolled out of the lower half of the bunkbed and stood up shivering a little in the chilly air as he massaged his forehead and groped around for his glasses. Between the spine-tingling ride from the North Pacific Ocean to the Port of Brookings (Stanford slowed down the craft before it reached Chetco Cove) and this violent awakening, Stan wondered if he could convince his brother to sail south for a break at a tropical destination.

Adventures should also include vacations.

The brothers arrived at the mouth of the harbor in the wee hours of the new day. Ford had negotiated berthing options with the port authorities, but not before leading his weak-kneed twin to his bunkbed to recover from the trip.

 _"When the_ heck _did you become a speed demon, ya nerd?" Stan muttered as he removed his boots and his jacket with shaking hands._

 _Ford chuckled. "After you've recovered, I'll tell you all about the time I was in Dimension 18."_

Stan walked to a window and drew back the curtain; it was getting brighter outside. Fog partially obscured the cold dark waters, the docks, and the lower halves of the three or four other boats docked near the Stan O'War II.

After washing his face in the small bathroom, Stan put on his glasses, dressed warmly and donned his knit cap before walking back to the room. He saw a note taped to the side of the bunkbed; he walked up to it and read:

 _Stan, I went out to get supplies and breakfast. Will be back soon. Wait for the others._

 _-Ford_

"Hrmph," said Stan, walking to the stairs leading up to the bridge. On the way up, he adjusted his hearing aid in his ear, mentally making a note to ask Ford to check this the first chance he gets.

"Hello…Grunk…an?"

Stan blinked. It sounded like… "Mabel?"

He looked around the bridge. He registered the crackling sounds of static that was coming from the ham radio.

The piping voice of a young girl was broadcasting faintly from the radio, interspersed with static: "Great…cle…Ford? Plea…is any…there?!"

"Mabel!"

Stan grinned and ran quickly to the ham radio and lifted the mic from its hook. "Hey, pumpkin!" he called out into the mic, reaching with his other hand to adjust some of the other dials on the machine, increasing the volume and trying to bring down the static. "Bit early for a call with your Grunkles eh, kid?"

"Grun…Stan!" Mabel cried between static. "Nee…help! Some…ing wrong wi…ipper!"

It was then that Stan realized that Mabel wasn't being her regular excited self. He detected panic in her voice.

"Mabel, Mabel!" Stan responded in a loud voice, hoping that his responses weren't as full of static when it reaches Mabel's radio. "Hey, what's wrong pumpkin? What happened to Dipper?"

"Some…ing weird! Dipper is…ting! His…ead is…ing! Grunk…Stan I…no wha…to do! Mom and Da…aking him to…pital!"

Stan frowned.

"Mabel, you're breaking up!" he yelled into the mic.

But there was no response. All he got was static.

"Ugh, stupid radio!" growled Stan, replacing the mic back on the hook with a bit more force than usual. He scowled at the radio as he processed what he had heard. Something happened to Dipper, and it was freaking out his twin sister.

Stan felt an uncomfortable, heavy sensation in his gut. Something about his head, Dipper's head. Did Dipper fall? Was he going to be okay?

"Morning, Stanley!"

Stan turned around; Ford had returned from his outing with bags of groceries and—judging from the delicious smells—breakfast. Ford looked at his brother and his tense, wide-eyed expression, then at the ham radio exuding static.

"Did someone hail us on the radio?" Ford inquired with concern, setting down the grocery bags. From one large paper bag, he took out a large take-out box and handed it to Stan. "Bacon, eggs, hash browns, and toast, just like you wanted."

"Yeah, thanks" Stan replied, taking the container and turning back to twiddle the dials on the radio. "Mabel called. Something spooked her, bad; something about Dipper. That's all I managed to get out of her between static."

Ford's eye widened in concern. "Something happened to Dipper?" he said in a louder voice. "How bad is it? What else did Mabel tell you?"

"That was all I got until we were cut off," Stan muttered, standing up and heading for a table with his breakfast. He stared at his breakfast grimly. "Something about his head, I think, and hospital." He looked at his brother. "That doesn't sound good, Ford."

Ford was horrified. He could see his great-nephew in his mind's eye: a thirteen-year old boy who closely resembled him and Stanley at that age, who idolized him as the Author of the Journals last summer. That brilliant, brave boy who saved him from becoming a prisoner in a galaxy far, far away. Who stood next to his twin sister, Mabel, taunting a powerful yellow dream demon, giving his great-uncles a chance to escape…

Ford clasped his head between his hands when a mental image of Dipper with a bandaged head appeared, with Mabel weeping at his bedside. He nearly dropped the bag with his take-out meal in it.

"Dipper…ugh, we need more details! We should have listened to the kids and gotten us a cellphone. I could have rigged a signal booster that could give us a signal from the Artic and…"

"We might be able to find one while we're here, but you'll have to use 'em. I wouldn't know how to use 'em touch-typing things," Stan muttered while he dipped bacon into the yolk before popping them into his mouth. "I don't know what the kids' numbers are, but I think I have their parents' house number here somewhere. And we've got guests arriving."

"Of course!" Ford growled. He nearly slammed his breakfast on the tabletop in frustration. He looked at his brother. "How can you eat at a time like this?"

Stan shrugged. "Don't waste the food, Ford. Eat up; we're gonna need your smarts to think this through."

Ford clapped a hand to his forehead. Of course—this was a survival tactic, when you didn't know when your next meal will come. It was a survival tactic that Stan picked up after Filbrick threw him out of the house. Had he himself not experienced it personally during the last thirty years?

Stan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Here's an idea: we pick up the visitor and head straight to Piedmont. Think the Stan O'War's got enough juice left to get there by lunchtime?"

Ford breathed in deeply and exhaled. "There's enough fuel to restock the engines. I need to check and see if they've cooled off substantially to—"

"Ahoy there! Mr. Pineses!"

Stan nearly choked on a piece of bacon. "Soos?!" he hacked.

Ford stood up and pounded Stan's back, looking out of the windows. Standing on the docks were what he thought were three people. Ford recognized the large form of the child-like Soos, wearing a green jacket and a green cap, waving eagerly at their direction. Beside him was a red-haired young woman wearing a red flannel jacket and a familiar blue-and-white cap—the girl, Wendy, who used to man the gift shop at the Mystery Shack. Behind them was the enormous bulk of Dan Corduroy, Wendy's father, who also wore a red flannel jacket and whose beard matched his daughter's fiery red hair (Ford thought how much larger the man had become the since last time he saw him thirty years ago). A patch of blue next to Dan and behind Soos showed the evidence of a fourth person; Ford concluded that this must be one of the dimension-jumpers Soos had talked about last night.

He looked at his brother. "I'll show them in. You stay here and chew your food." He left Stan spluttering behind him.

Ford walked up the steps leading to the deck of the Stan O'War II, opened the door and waved at the visitors. "Ahoy there, Soos, Wendy, Dan! Come on over, Stanley and I were just having breakfast. Have you eaten yet?"

"Thanks Mr. Ford!" Soos said gleefully. He hopped over the small gap between the dock and the trawler and nearly threw Ford off-balance. "Sorry about that! And we already had breakfast at the Yumberjacks drive-thru! How are you doods?"

Ford stepped aside and chuckled. "We're fine, fine!" He looked around and saw Wendy had already boarded the trawler. Behind her, Manly Dan assisted the blue-cloaked stranger aboard the ship. Ford could not see their face, as their head was covered by a hood. He took in the all-blue ensemble they wore, the blue bag on one shoulder, and the powder-blue staff in their blue-gloved hand.

Ford froze.

"Hey, Ford. You okay there?"

Ford was not aware that Stan had exited the bridge moments ago, nor did he hear him greet Wendy and Soos behind him. He did not move from his spot as the stranger boarded the ship and turned to face him.

They walked up to him and pulled the hood over their head. A tumble of dark red hair was exposed, framing dark gray eyes on a pale face.

"Introductions again!" Soos piped up, unaware of the tension. He stepped up between Ford and the visitor and said, "Mr. Ford, this is…"

"Maegella," Ford said softly.

Behind him, Stan frowned and said, "Really? I thought it was just Ella…"

"Greetings, Stanford," Maegella replied. "I—I am glad to see you have found your way home at last."

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** Yeah, I wrote in the second chapter that Maegella summoned a horse. I'm making up for it here, making their standard-issue horse breed giants, like a Shire horse.


	7. Reunion and Ruminations

**Reunion and Ruminations**

Ford and Maegella stared at each other for nearly a minute. Stan, Soos, Wendy, and Manly Dan stared at them and then looked at each other.

Ford raised a six-fingered hand and rubbed the back of his neck as the expression of shock was replaced with wonder. "You're here I—I can't believe it!" he cried in surprise.

Maegella gave him a half-smile. "You've made it to your own world, Stanford," she said in a shaky voice. "I thought—you just disappeared the last time we…"

Ford interrupted her, "I didn't mean to leave without saying goodbye properly! I mean I got sucked in before I could—"

Stan interrupted them: "You _know_ each other?"

Ford and Maegella both gave a start, then looked around them, realizing that they had an audience.

"Y-yes," Ford replied as Maegella nodded. He cleared his throat and continued, "We've met before. Maegella is from the land of Rothezar. She—she helped me when I, uh, _visited_ her dimension some twenty years or so ago." He turned to look at his brother, "Stanley, this is Maegella! Maegella, this is my twin brother, Stanley!"

Maegella looked at Stan and raised her staff, "Greetings, Stanley."

Stan clicked his tongue and gave her a wink, "Hey there!"

Then he turned to Ford and asked in a loud stage whisper, "She's not going to turn you into a game piece for another nerd game, is she?"

Ford rolled his eyes. "No, she's not! She's not from _Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons_ …"

Stan's response and Ford's reply to him confused Maegella enough that she forgot to put down her staff. Wendy reached out to push her arm down before saying, "I'll go say goodbye to Dad for now, so hold your story-telling until I get back."

 **XXXXX**

An hour later, after they bid Manly Dan goodbye, the two Stans helped their three new passengers deposit their things in the second level, packed away the groceries, and sailed out of the Port. Stan took the helm and cruised away from Chetco Cove and headed south for California.

They were all at the bridge. The next thirty minutes were spent explaining what Maegella was looking for in Dimension 46'\, which included a summary of the history of Mek-Death and the rebellion that took the Sigil out of that dimension. As Maegella showed them the hologram of the Guardian, Ford leaned in and asked, "Maegella, can you show us a closer rendering of the Sigils on the chest?

Maegella complied, reaching out to touch the chest of the hologram guardian where the combined Sigils were located. This created a zoom in effect to show the Sigils in closer detail. The red Sigils were arranged in a circle on the chest of the guardian, each enclosed in a white diamond-shaped background.

"I don't know _what_ I was expecting," said Stan, peering over Ford's shoulder from his position at the helm. "Looks like a bunch of squiggles to me."

"Each Sigil meant something to the kingdom they once came from," Maegella explained in a soft tone. "They were inspired from the constellations in our night sky."

Wendy peered at the symbols. "Hey, this one here looks like the birthmark on Dipper's forehead," she exclaimed, pointing at the Sigil on the top of the circle, "except it's not lying down."

Soos gave a start and looked at Wendy. "Dipper has a Big Dipper on his forehead? And he didn't tell _me_?!" he said out loud.

Wendy cringed. "Oops."

"Dipper also showed it to me before the—uh— _event_ happened," said Ford, studying the set of constellations closely. "Seems like the Big Dipper is the only constellation we have in common, though that's not the name it goes by in Rothezar, if I'm not mistaken."

"In Rothezar, we call it the Pendulum," Maegella confirmed. "It was the Sigil of the kingdom whose Leader was swayed by the Cipher's false promises all those years ago."

Ford cringed at the mention of "Cipher". Maegella saw his expression and winced. "I'm sorry, Stanford, I—"

"It's okay, Maegella," Ford murmured, looking at her with a kinder expression. "He's gone now. Defeated. Never coming back!"

"I have heard from Soos and Wendy that you have defeated him at great cost," said Maegella, who looked over at Stan. Stan seemed extra-concentrated on the large window in front of him. "Many worlds are in your debt, Stanley Pines."

Stan huffed. "You're welcome, I guess."

Ford grinned. "He's just embarrassed by the praise," he explained to Maegella.

Maegella looked back at Ford and smiled. Then she just stared at him, then looked at Stanley, then looked back at him again. Ford's grin of humor changed to an awkward one. "Uh, is something wrong?"

"I saw his portrait back at the—Mystery Shack, you called it?" she began, referring to Stan. "I was very surprised; he resembles you so much, yet there are differences."

Wendy raised her eyebrows. "I thought you were just surprised there was a portrait of a strange old guy where Soos and Melody live," she said, looking at Maegella.

"And a very good-looking strange old guy, too!" Stan declared, looking back at Maegella and waggling his bushy eyebrows at her. "My portrait gives that dingy office life!"

When he turned to look back at the sea, Soos and Wendy sniggered behind their hands. Ford rolled his eyes. Maegella was unable to suppress a grin.

"And you look older than your twin," Maegella added.

Wendy couldn't help it; she snorted out laughing. Soos clapped a hand to his mouth in shock. Ford suddenly found that he needed to give the ceiling a small, amused smile while Stan hunched over the ship's wheel and muttered something that sounded like, "Where are the extra controls on this ship?"

Maegella blinked. "I'm sorry," she said, looking sheepishly at Stan. "I do not mean rudeness! I was making observation and not a slight on your appearance…"

"Eh, it's fine," Stan murmured, waving it off. "All the kids do it these days."

"…in light of the fact that your brother bathed in the Healing Springs a long time ago, which would explain why he looks younger than you." Maegella finished in a softer voice.

"Healing Springs?" repeated Stan, turning to look at Maegella and Ford. "Healing Springs? Ford, did you take a side trip to a spa or something?"

Ford rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward again. Maegella waved her hand over the orb, making the image of the Sigils disappear, and stared at Ford. Wendy and Soos stared at Ford as well.

"I take it they do not know of your travels outside your dimension," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Just bits and pieces with Stan," Ford admitted, pointing a thumb at Stan. "There are parts I'm not comfortable sharing yet…"

"Can you just share the part about how you two met?" Soos asked in a polite voice. He was hunched over the small table staring at Ford, looking ever more like a curious gopher/man-child hybrid.

The implication of the innocent question made Ford cough and Maegella turn a little pink in the cheeks. Wendy raised an eyebrow at them. Stan was looking at his brother as though he caught Ford in a compromising position (and with him knowing his socially awkward brother, it was a long time coming).

Ford and Maegella looked at each other. Then Ford looked at everyone in the room.

It was Ford who began talking: "What I am comfortable sharing is this: while I was on the other side of the Portal, I discovered that I could jump between dimensions by finding a weak spot. If I time it correctly, I can pass through it and jump to another dimension. That was how I got by for thirty years: dimension-hopping, meeting new people, collecting parts for a device that would help me defeat Bill Cipher, that sort of thing. It just so happened that prior to arriving in Rothezar I—uh—miscalculated with some local wildlife in Dimension 51…"

Ford looked up and saw Stan looking at him with a frozen expression on his face. "What do you mean, _miscalculated_?" he asked his twin in a tight voice.

"Y-yes," Ford replied. "In my quest for the next dimensional weak spot, I had encountered a mother with her young. Looked like a cross between a kangaroo and a porcupine, with razor-sharp claws and teeth. I had startled her and she charged…I barely got away, but she was trying to protect her young at all costs. It was very fortunate that in trying to escape her, I managed to encounter the weak spot I was looking for and managed to land in the best possible dimension to be! Very fortuitous!"

Judging by the look of slack-jawed horror on Stan's face (and Soos and Wendy's combined look of shock), it did not seem fortuitous at all. Or Stan was simply not aware of what the word meant.

"If I were you, I would reconsider listing the extent of your injuries, Stanford," Maegella murmured, looking at Stan with concern.

"You…you got hurt!" Stan yelled. "You almost _died_!"

"I survived!" Ford yelped back. "I got into the weak spot in the dimension and landed in Rothezar! Maegella found me right away and took me to the Blue Guild for healing. It all worked out!"

Stan turned away from his brother, looking at the sea he wasn't really seeing. "But you got hurt…you wouldn't have gotten hurt if I hadn't…the Portal…"

Ford stood up and walked over to the ship's wheel. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and gently said, "Stanley, we've talked about this. In the first place, I should never have built that Portal, so part of the blame lies with me. I _forgave_ you for pushing me into the Portal. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to come home and gotten to know the rest of my family. If it weren't for you, there wouldn't have been any way to defeat Bill Cipher for good."

Stan looked away from the windows to look at Ford. He still looked horrified and guilty.

Ford smiled at him. "You're our hero, Stanley. Never forget that."

"And that's the truth!" exclaimed Soos.

"He's right, man," Wendy piped up.

Stan turned to look at them: his former employees were smiling at him.

"Here, you sit down and I'll drive," said Ford, gently pulling Stan away from the wheel and taking over. Stan trudged over to the table and sat across from Maegella.

He stared at his hands, composing himself. When he felt ready, he looked at Maegella and said, "We've got time until we reach California. So, how did you meet my brother over here?"

Maegella looked evenly at Stan, then at everyone else in the room. She began, "I found him all those years ago, along the banks of the river. I thought he might not make it to the Springs in time…"

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's note:** This chapter is quite short, but this is to give way to some flashbacks in the next chapter.


	8. The Stranger in Rothezar

**The Stranger in Rothezar**

 _Twenty years ago_

It sounded like the clap of thunder.

Maegella looked up quizzically from her spot near the river, where she was watching over her young charges playing along the gray banks. There was no flash of lightning that came with the thunder. The lavender skies were clear, with few clouds on the horizon. Nothing in the skies suggested a thunderstorm.

She frowned and looked around, raising her staff in caution. In her five years of training new mages, she had often brought her students to this spot for a treat without incident, and she never had cause to worry.

She was just about to relax when she heard a rustle behind her. She turned around just in time to see the man topple out from between the trees and collapse face-first onto the leaf-littered floor. From the river, she heard the surprised cries and shrieks of her five charges. They saw him as well.

Maegella stood up and rushed towards the fallen figure. She knelt next to the body and carefully turned it over; what she saw made her gasp. His square-jawed face was bruised and gouged with deep scratches, his graying brown hair was matted with blood, and the shirt under the ragged coat was ripped and stained with blood as well. A pair of square spectacles were dangling from one ear; one of the lenses was cracked. On one shoulder was what looked like a large knapsack, which somehow looked more intact than its owner.

He seemed to have been mauled by a vicious animal; Maegella looked up, expecting the cause of this man's injuries to make themselves known. But there was no time to find if the animal was out there; the stranger needed help, and he need it fast.

Maegella raised her staff to the trees as a precaution and turned to bark out orders to her two oldest pupils: "Andreas, gather the others out of the river and help me here! Sandri, run back to the Guild Hall and inform the Maesters that we have an injured stranger on the banks of the river! We need to take him to the Springs!"

The unconscious man moaned in pain. Maegella looked at him in pity before she pointed her staff at some vines, which started to weave themselves into the shape of a hammock. "Hang on, stranger," she told him, though she doubted he could hear her. "Help is here."

 **xxxxx**

His last thought was that he was going to die on this icy wasteland. Whether he was going to die by exsanguination or at the claws of the enraged, spiky monstrosity he unintentionally surprised, Stanford just hoped that it would be quick or merciful. Preferably both.

The next thing he knew, he woke up in a pool of cool water.

He was submerged in the water save for his face. Everything was bright and blurry; he wasn't wearing his glasses. He started thrashing about, trying to get out, trying to find a foothold…

A soft, calm voice cut through the sounds of splashing: "Don't be afraid, stranger. You're in a safe haven. Let the spring heal your hurts."

Surprised, Ford swallowed a mouthful of cold water and spluttered. "I can't see! Where am I? Who are you? How did I get here? How come you speak English?" he croaked. Then he realized… " _Where are my clothes?!_ "

"You are in the Healing Springs of Rothezar, stranger, under the protection of the Blue Guild," replied the voice. "We found you near the banks of the river and brought you here. I do not know this 'English' you speak of, but you are very fluent in our language. As for your clothes, we had to take them off you before submerging you into the pool. Your shirt is beyond repair and the rest were filthy. But do not worry! You were given a loincloth to wear, to—protect your modesty."

In Ford's mind, he was more appalled that people saw him in his birthday suit than actually being in his birthday suit (plus a loincloth).

Then something the voice said clicked. "Heal my hurts?" he asked.

He placed his hands on his face. The monster-kangaroo's claws would have sliced off his nose if he hadn't tilted his head back in time, but not enough to completely avoid them. Now, in place of the deep cuts, he felt partially healed wounds. It was as though they healed over a matter of days.

"Please, how long have I been here?" asked Ford. He wanted to know the extent of healing on his torso, left arm and left leg, where he was hit with the business end of the creature's spiky tail, but not while there was an unseen stranger watching him. "And do you have a name? Can I at least have my glasses back?"

"Less than a quarter of the day has gone since we placed you into the pool," the voice said. "And I will share my name if you let me know yours. I have your 'glasses' here; reach up with your right hand and I will give them to you."

Ford raised his right hand, waving blindly around; a soft, strong hand grasped his own to stop it moving and placed his glasses in his palm. Ford unfolded his glasses and put them on. He blinked, and the bright blurry colors became clear solid objects.

He was looking up at what appeared to be a massive, brightly lit cavern. Ford realized that the source of the light were embedded in the ceiling and walls of the cave: glowing rocks giving off a soft blue light. He quickly took stock of his situation; he was swimming in a circular pool of water, about the circumference of a large kiddie pool. Based on the few bright rocks embedded within the pool, and the fact that he couldn't touch the bottom of it with his feet, he estimated the depth to be at least seven to eight feet. Looking over the edge of his pool, he spotted other pools scattered around the cavern with stone benches in-between.

Ford then turned to the right and saw her. She was sitting on a stone bench a few feet away from him, looking at him curiously. The lighting in the cave was sufficient enough for him to see that she had a pale oval face, round gray eyes, a straight nose, and wide, full lips. Her dark red hair was tied back into a long braid, the tail of which hung over one shoulder. Her outfit was at least three shades of blue: dark blue vest and pants, darker blue boots, and a light blue blouse with fitted sleeves ending at her wrists. In her bare hands, she held a light blue staff.

Years of playing _Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons_ had Ford asking, "Are you a wi—I mean—a magical person…type?"

He wasn't sure if "witch" has a negative connotation in this dimension.

The woman just raised an eyebrow. Ford wanted to sink into the pool: he always made a hash of it when he tried to talk to the opposite sex. It was Stanley who had the charm, not him.

In an attempt to salvage first impressions, Ford cleared his throat and said, "I'm Stanford. Stanford Pines." He raised a right arm out of the pool and waved at her.

The woman gave him a small but warm smile, making a dimple show on one cheek. "I am Maegella, Stanford Pines," she replied in that calm voice, raising her staff in a salute. "And to answer your earlier question, yes, I am a magical person…type."

Ford blinked.

Maegella chuckled and turned to retrieve a large towel and a long white robe from behind her. "I will take you to Maester Thrum. He will need to see how much you have healed."

 **XXXXX**

 _Present day_

"You saved my brother's life."

Maegella blinked at Stanley. He made the statement gruffly, but it was the look of wonder and gratefulness on his face that made her blush a little.

"I just found him, Stanley," she said, shrugging. "The Springs saved his life and mended his wounds."

"Still," Wendy interjected. "You found Dr. Pines and got him the help he needed. You helped save his life, Maegella. Don't downplay it!"

Maegella's cheeks turned even pinker.

"So, what happened next?" Soos asked.

Still pink-cheeked, Maegella looked at Soos to reply, "I accompanied Stanford to Maester Thrum to assess his healing. Stanford was out of immediate danger, but the Maester wanted him to visit the pools two more times, to let his wounds heal more thoroughly."

"The Springs didn't fully heal his wounds?" Wendy asked.

"The Springs accelerate healing, but if the injury or illness is grave or compounded by other factors like infection or poison, it will take time for full healing to take effect," explained Maegella. "In Stanford's case, it seems the creature he encountered was poisonous, which was why he needed two more days in the Springs."

"Oy," Stan groaned. He took off his glasses and rubbed a spot between his eyes.

"Whoa," said Soos, looking over at Ford at the ship's wheel. "Good thing Miss Maegella found you, Mr. Ford!"

"So, how long did you stay in Rothezar, Dr. Pines?" Wendy asked.

Ford looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall.

"If I'm not mistaken, I stayed there for about eight days," he said, looking back out at the ocean. "The most peaceful, relaxing eight days I ever had since I got sucked into the Portal. Maegella and the Blue Guild were very kind to me. After I gave a brief accounting of how I got to Rothezar they gave me my things back, a new set of clothes to wear, and a place to sleep. Maegella accompanied me to the Healing Springs for my next two days of soaking, and we got around to talking."

"I told Stanford that I will answer his questions only if he will answer my questions," Maegella shared. "I told him about Rothezar and the Five Guilds, and he told me about the life he led before he became a nomad."

Ford cleared his throat. "Not the complete story, I'm afraid," he said, staring resolutely out the front window.

 **XXXXX**

 _Twenty years ago…_

Two people were walking down a cobblestone path leading away from the large domed Guild Hall. Both of them wore dark blue cloaks, in deference to the cool temperatures.

"I hope I am not taking you away from any major appointments, Maegella," said Ford. He found her in the large dining quarters on the ground floor of the Hall after his early appointment with Maester Thrum.

"It's okay, Stanford," said Maegella, looking at him with a small smile. "Today is a rest day for my charges and I have no other assignments from the Guild. I have been meaning to ask: how do you feel today?"

"I feel great," Ford replied, stretching his arms up over his head. "In fact, I haven't felt this fantastic in over ten years!"

It was Ford's fourth day in Rothezar. He had completed his third soak in the Healing Springs yesterday, and during his appointment with old Maester Thrum was given a clean bill of health. In fact, his three days soaking in the Springs had not only healed his recent wounds, it also cleared away most of the scars he accumulated in ten years and took out the aches in his bones. Even the premature graying in his brown hair went away.

He shared with Maegella about his first visit with the old Maester. Ford was surprised to learn that the Springs had drawn out some kind of poison from him.

 _"How did you know I was poisoned?" Ford asked the balding Maester with the stooped back._

 _Maester Thrum smiled at Ford. "As soon as you were placed into the pool, Maegella noticed that the color of the water turned bright green," he explained. "It explains why it took you so long to wake up since you were found. Maegella corked a sample of the water and sent it to the Hall before she drew out the rest of the poison from the pool."_

 _"How did she do that?" Ford asked in amazement._

 _Maester Thrum shuffled up to Ford, raised his gnarled and spotty hands in Ford's face and wiggled his fingers. "Maaaaagic!" he croaked._

 _Ford just stared at him._

"Maester Thrum has developed a very…interesting sense of humor since he turned a hundred and one," Maegella explained after Ford shared the conversation with her. Her mouth twitched as she tried to maintain a calm façade.

"A hundred and one, huh?" said Ford, bringing down his hands to place them behind his back. "He doesn't look a day over ninety-nine!"

Maegella chuckled.

They reached a fork in the path; Maegella looked at the two diverging paths; she turned to Ford and said, "If we turn left, we will be able to reach the marketplace. If we turn right, we will reach the banks of the river where we found you. Where would you like to go?"

Ford looked at the two paths. "I'd like to see the marketplace," he said.

They turned left and started walking again. Ford took his knapsack and reached into it to pull out a small but bulky wristwatch. He poked at it, trying to turn it on. Nothing happened.

"What is that, Stanford?" asked Maegella; she had observed what Ford was doing for the past minute.

"Oh, this is a holo-watch I invented," Ford replied, showing Maegella the device. "While I was in another dimension, I scrounged for some parts and built this on the run. It helps me detect the location of the next dimensional weak spot. For some reason, it's not working today."

"You're...still planning on leaving, then?" Maegella murmured, looking away from Ford.

"If I could find the weak spot," he muttered distractedly. He gave a huff of annoyance and looked around. "I suppose the magical properties of this dimension is interfering with the functionality of my watch; potentially, any technology that manages to get in here will not work."

He sighed as he put the watch back into his bag and turned to look at Maegella. Whatever he was about to say to her was immediately forgotten when he saw the look of utter, uncharacteristic confusion on her usually calm face.

Ford couldn't help it; he sputtered out laughing.

 **xxxxx**

When they reached the marketplace, Ford was not surprised to see that the circular tent-stalls were arranged into a large circle. By this time, he realized that this dimension placed a high value on circles. The tents came in different shades of blue, yellow, green and red. Maegella had already informed him about the Five Guilds of Rothezar during his second day here. As they walked around the marketplace, Ford noted the merchandise being hawked by the tradespeople and how they relate to the color scheme of each stall: green stalls sold vegetables, fruits, and assorted drinks; yellow stalls sold cooked food and live livestock; blue stalls seem to stand as the apothecaries with their wares of potions for different ailments; and the red stalls sold scrolls, quills and assorted reading materials.

"I noticed that there are no gray tents here," he told Maegella over a leg of roasted fowl on a stick. They were sitting on a log beside a green tent-stall where Maegella bought them two tankards of golden mead. The roasted fowl was purchased from the yellow tent-stall next to it. "And this bird tastes like pork! I like it, but it is messing with my head like you wouldn't believe. Not that I'm complaining; I've eaten weirder things in my travels."

Maegella took a sip of mead before answering him. "I did not consider the lack of gray in the marketplace until you mentioned it," she admitted. "I suppose the tradesmen prefer not to use the color either in deference of the Gray Guild or simply because they do not tell fortunes or delve into the past."

Ford went "Hmm" and finished off the remains of his pork-tasting fowl.

Maegella looked up at him. "You are unimpressed by the Gray Guild," she said calmly.

Ford finished chewing and swallowed some mead before replying, "Let's just say I only believe half of what the Gray Guild offers and leave it at that."

Before Maegella could respond, a new voice interjected, "Your new friend sounds extremely skeptical, Maegella."

Maegella and Ford looked up. In front of them was a barrel-chested man wearing a dark green cloak. He wore his jet-black hair long and tied in a ponytail and his light blue eyes were a surprising contrast to his tanned complexion. In his right hand, he held a moss-green staff.

Maegella smiled brightly. She handed Ford her half-eaten meal and used her staff to propel herself up. She hugged the green-cloaked man. "Greetings, Darreon! How nice to see you again!" she said.

"Greetings, Maegella," the man named Darreon replied, reciprocating Maegella's hug with green-sleeved, beefy arms. Ford stood up, still holding two sticks of fowl. He noticed that Darreon was shorter than he was, about the same height as Maegella. Ford felt a twinge of satisfaction for this observation, though he wasn't sure why.

Maegella turned towards Ford. "Stanford, this is my childhood friend, Darreon," said Maegella. "We grew up together at the orphanage before we were tested. Darreon, this is Stanford Pines. He is our guest at the Blue Guild."

Darreon looked up at Ford and smiled. "Greetings, Stanford," he said, raising his staff.

"Greetings, Darreon," Ford replied formally, unconsciously reciprocating Darreon's action by saluting him with a stick of half-eaten roasted bird.

"Have you finished your meal? Good! Walk with me and let us talk!" Darreon said suddenly in a loud voice. "I'll help you return the tankards here to the stall."

Maegella and Ford looked at each other in confusion as Darreon returned the half-full tankards. "Thank you, Darreon, but—"

Maegella's words were cut off when Darreon quickly returned and wedged himself between herself and Ford. Muscly arms wound around Maegella's shoulders and—since he was shorter than Ford—pinned Ford's armed onto his sides. The green-cloaked man steered them away effortlessly from the green tent-stall.

The next words Darreon spoke were so low, only Ford and Maegella could hear them: "Maegella, I know that Stanford here is not of Rothezar. Word has spread from the Blue Guild and reached the other four. Soon, it will reach the City."

Darreon paused and looked around him. "I have never seen the Maesters of the Green Guild look so worried," he murmured, resuming his drag of the two people with him.

Ford tensed up. He never received a negative vibe at the Blue Guild, but then again, they seem to have emotional control down to a science. Considering that they were the medical experts in this dimension, "calm" was a requirement, just like doctors back in his home dimension.

"I don't mean harm to anyone here…" Ford began to say.

"It is not you that worries them, Stanford, but _how_ you came to be here," Darreon interrupted. He had steered them to the road leading back to the Blue Guild.

Maegella whispered, "What are you saying, Darreon?"

Darreon did not reply until they walked a fair distance away from the marketplace. In the middle of the path, Darreon released them from his bear hug. Ford rubbed his arms, trying to get circulation and feeling back in his arms; Maegella rubbed her shoulders and turned to frown at Darreon.

"Well, Darreon?" she asked, putting a hand on her waist and her staff by her side.

Darreon looked around and pulled them to one side of the road, hiding the three of them behind some trees. "You know our history, Maegella," he said in a low voice, looking behind him as though he was expecting a spy. "They are worried that Stanford's arrival in Rothezar might give the demon an opening into our world as well!"

"Demon?" repeated Ford, a kernel of dread forming in the pit of his stomach. He tried to tamp it down and looked between Maegella's shocked expression and Darreon's tense look. "What demon?" he asked carefully.

Maegella did not respond; she looked at Darreon, who in turn looked at Ford. "Thousands of years ago, the demon Bill Cipher tried to enter our world…"

Ford listened, the kernel of dread blooming in his stomach, as he listened to Darreon recount the ancient history of Rothezar and Bill Cipher. When Darreon concluded the history lesson, Ford walked to a nearby tree, leaned on it, took off his glasses, and rubbed a hand over his eyes.

"And they think that Stanford's appearance here from another plane of existence means that the demon has another chance here?" Maegella asked in an incredulous tone. "I sincerely doubt it! And I do know my history; the remaining Founders have set about powerful countermeasures to make sure Cipher will never enter our world!"

"But then how did Stanford manage to arrive here from another world, without means of an otherworldly craft?" Darreon asked calmly.

"There are other means, like finding a weak spot between worlds," Maegella retorted in a tight voice. "Unless you are insinuating that Stanford was sent here by the demon."

Behind her, Ford winced.

Maegella turned around and saw Ford leaning on the tree. "Stanford, what's wrong?" Maegella asked, walking towards him with concern. She stopped when Ford raised a six-fingered hand, requesting for space. For distance.

"Stanford?"

Ford put his glasses back on and looked apologetically at Maegella and Darreon. "It's—it's nothing," he said, standing up straight again. "I feel like returning back to the Hall; I—I need to check on my holo-ward—er—holo-watch, and see if I can get it to work again."

Ford did not wait to see if the other two followed him back to the Guild Hall.

 **XXXXX**

 _Present day…_

"You didn't tell her that you knew that demon Dorito?" Stan interrupted, turning to look at Ford.

Ford adjusted the glasses on his face and cleared his throat. "I didn't; not while Darreon was there."

Stan raised an eyebrow.

"But he did tell me, eventually, when we returned to the Guild Hall," Maegella added. She looked down at her hands and frowned. "I admit I was quite shocked when Stanford told me of his own history with the demon, and how he became a nomad for ten years. I was quite conflicted."

Stan and Ford bowed their heads in unison.

"We didn't talk for two days," Ford said. He looked over at Maegella and continued, "I thought you would have told the Maesters about what I admitted to you, but I was never…"

"You know I never told anyone, Stanford," said Maegella. To Stan, Wendy and Soos, she said, "I took time away from the Hall to reflect by the river. I realized that Stanford was as much a victim of the Cipher's trickery as the former Leader was thousands of years ago. And if Stanford was under the Cipher's thrall, he would not have been able to enter Rothezar. I started to understand."

"How did you patch things up?" asked Stan.

"I returned to the Guild Hall and took Stanford out walking around the Springs," Maegella answered, ignoring Stan nearly choking on a can of Pitt Cola. "I saw that Stanford was very remorseful about summoning the demon in your dimension. We talked again and put the issue of the Cipher behind us. Until…he disappeared."

Maegella looked at Ford. "You just disappeared, Stanford, without telling anyone," she said to him. "What happened?"

Ford frowned.

 **XXXXX**

 _Twenty years ago…_

It was his eighth day in Rothezar.

After they patched things up yesterday, Ford shared with Maegella an idea: he wanted to consult with the Maesters on how the Five Founders have protected Rothezar against Bill Cipher. He wanted to arm himself with more knowledge on how to defeat the dream demon in the event he leaves the safety of Rothezar. Maegella agreed that it was a good plan and vowed to help him set an appointment with them.

Then at breakfast, one of Maegella's pupils approached him, holding a scroll.

"Good morning, sir," said the blonde boy in light blue robes, handing him the scroll. "I was instructed to give you this, sir."

"Thank you," said Ford, unrolling the scroll. It was written in a language Ford did not recognize. "I'm sorry, but I can't read this. Who is it from?"

Andreas blinked. "Oh! It is an invitation from Maester Thrum, sir," the boy replied. He screwed his face up, trying to remember. "He says to meet him by the banks of the river after luncheon, sir."

Ford was impressed; Maegella truly delivered. "Thank you, young man," he said, tucking the scroll into his own cloak. "What's your name again?"

"Andreas, sir," replied the boy. "Good day, sir!" he added before turning around and running off to rejoin his fellows at another table.

After breakfast, Ford went to look for Maegella to tell her about Maester Thrum's message, but he was informed by another student that she was currently at the Springs attending to some patients. It seemed that a large creature had stampeded through the marketplace earlier that morning, crushing the tent-stalls and injuring several people. Most of the qualified mages in the Blue Guild were on hand to attend to the injured that were brought to their Guild. Ford wondered if Maester Thrum would be among them, but he decided to make sure later that afternoon.

After lunch, he made his way to the river nearby, his knapsack over his shoulder. He never shook off the habit of taking his bag with him wherever he went, no matter how safe he felt here in Rothezar. When he reached the gray banks, Ford looked around and spotted a large, flat rock facing the riverbank. He walked to this rock and sat cross-legged on it, facing one end of the river heading away from the direction of the Blue Guild, and waited.

He sat there for over twenty minutes. Ford wondered if Maester Thrum was still shuffling down the cobblestone path leading to the river. He was about to stand up and return to the Guild Hall when a harsh voice behind him said, " _Templa en' tessa!_ "

Ford felt the unusual sensation of tingles from the top of his head down to the tips of his toes. It was a similar to a foot falling asleep, except that he felt it all over his body. And when he started floating up and moving forwards, he realized that he could not move, frozen in a cross-legged sitting position.

He tried talking, and found that he could still move his lips. "Who are you?!" he demanded through gritted teeth. "Where are you taking me?"

No one replied.

Ford tried to tamp down the feeling of panic. He was floating away from the Blue Guild, following the path of the river. He could hear the dry leaves and sticks crackle underfoot behind him. Ford grimly appreciated his kidnapper's method, paralyzing him and controlling his direction from behind his back. In the event that Ford escapes, he wouldn't be able to identify his kidnapper.

They walked for a long time, following the path of the river. The longer they travelled, the wilder the river became. Ford estimated that they have been moving for about an hour before realizing that they stopped. The kidnapper set him down, but did not release him from the paralysis spell. He was still facing away from his kidnapper, so he had to rely on his sense of hearing, trying hard to listen over the sounds of rushing water beside him.

And then, Ford heard something, a sound he often tries to listen for during his ten years of travelling between dimensions: the electrical crackle of a dimensional weak spot opening nearby.

A harsh voice behind him snarled, "This is what you are looking for, stranger. No need to overstay your welcome here any longer."

Ford felt himself float again. He tried to move, but couldn't. He was moved in a wide arc and was now facing a bright bluish-white circle that formed in-between two large trees. Tendrils of bright blue electric charges zigzagged in and out of the circle.

"Give my regards to the Cipher," said the harsh voice.

Before he could react, Ford felt a large hand shove him towards the opening. There was nothing he could do but yell as he flew towards the circle of light.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** This chapter is also my headcanon on why Ford looks younger than his own twin, given that he had to go on survival mode outside of his own dimension. I would have thought that Ford would also experience a questionable diet and harsh experiences during his travels and age like Stan would. But based on this post ( post/139742947540/character-development), it is more likely that the Pines family have a genetic predisposition to rejuvenate in dire situations.


	9. Reconnect

**Reconnect**

 _The Stan O'War II, heading for California – February 18_

"By the time I landed in the next dimension, the spell wore off. I spent the next twenty years jumping from one dimension to the next, resigned to living as a dimension-hopping wanderer. Eventually, Stan here managed to find all my notes and activated the Portal in Gravity Falls, bringing me back to Earth."

Ford rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Could have done with a better reunion than punching your brother in the face," he muttered.

"Eh, no hard feelings, Ford," said Stan, standing up to toss an empty can of Pitt Cola into the bin. "Besides, I got you back when you tried to wake me up from my nap to watch that lightshow over the Arctic Ocean a couple'a months ago."

Ford rubbed his jaw, remembering. "That's the last time I wake you up for anything other than an emergency."

Ford dropped his hand back to the wheel and spared a glance back at the table. Soos and Wendy were staring at him in varying degrees of shock and awe. Beside Wendy, Maegella covered half of her face with her hands, staring at a spot on the small table.

"Maegella?"

She did not respond nor look up. Ford gestured to Stan to switch places and sat across from her on the small table. Wendy gently prodded her seatmate.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked.

Maegella shook her head. Then she looked at Ford sitting across from her.

"I am so sorry, Stanford," said Maegella in a shaky voice. She put her hands down to rub her arms. "I promised you, that very day I found you, that the Blue Guild will protect you while you were in Rothezar…"

"Maegella…" Ford attempted to cut in.

"…and it is only today I find out that you have been _ejected_ from Rothezar within the sanctuary of our Guild," she continued, her calm voice cracking with emotion that she was trying to control. "Possibly by one of our members! And _Andreas_ …I taught him! I taught him, and he never said anything about…and you say he gave you a scroll from Maester Thrum?! Maester Thrum was with _us_ at the Springs all throughout the morning, seeing to the worst of the injured folk! I…I…"

Maegella suddenly stood up, surprising Wendy enough that the younger girl abruptly stood up and moved aside. Maegella grabbed her staff and bag as she shuffled off the bench.

"I will be outside," she said. "I just need air."

Maegella gave everyone a curt nod and walked away towards the door leading to the deck.

 **XXXXX**

On the deck of _The Stan O'War II_ , Maegella walked to one corner of the deck and sat down cross-legged. She placed her staff on her lap, closed her eyes and ignored the damp from the floor, the ocean waves providing a soothing background noise. She breathed in the salty ocean air deeply and exhaled slowly, remembering the calming lecture from her youth.

 _You have the ability to amend the situation…learn to shift your attention and focus on what needs to be done. When you have done that, find resolution…_

"Maegella?"

She opened her eyes; she was looking right at Ford's knees. She looked up to see Ford looking down at her with a calm, neutral expression.

He gestured to a spot next to her. "May I take this seat?" he asked.

Maegella nodded and looked down at a spot on the floor. Ford moved to her side and carefully lowered himself to a cross-legged sitting position. He turned to her and raised a hand, moving it to pat her on the shoulder but then decided against it and opted to rub the back of his head instead. Then he leaned forward and brought his hands together to twiddle his thumbs over his crossed legs.

He walked out here to try to talk to Maegella, away from the others, and now he wasn't sure how to start the dialogue.

"On your first day in RoThezar, after your first immersion in the Springs, you kept trying to hide your hands," Maegella said softly, with a touch of huskiness in her tone. Ford looked up and saw that Maegella was looking at his hands. "You were ashamed of your hands. You wouldn't tell me why until the second day, when we would trade questions and answer them."

Ford stopped twiddling thumbs and splayed his hands, palms up. He remembered one of the first questions she asked of him: " _Why do you always hide your hands, Stanford?_ "

"When you've grown up being called a freak because you've got twelve fingers instead of ten, it tends to stick with you until adulthood and force you to build defenses," Ford murmured, repeating his answer to Maegella's question about his hands from twenty years ago.

"They were cruel because theY do not understand and prefer ignorance," said Maegella. "And they were petty because you are smarter than them."

Ford smiled and shook his head, flipping his hands palm-side down. "Ah, screw them! I'm more concerned about what my family thinks of me than some childhood bullies." He looked at Maegella and gave her a small smile. "You took control of the conversation," he said in a non-accusatory tone.

Maegella looked down at the staff lying on her lap, staring at the gnaRled-root knob as though she was seeing it for the first time. "What do you mean, Stanford?" she asked lightly.

Ford snorted. "I came out here to check on you and see if you're okay, and before I could say anything, you start talking about my hands."

Her lips twitched. "You were taking your time, Stanford," she said, still focused on her staff. "I was just filling the void."

 **XXXXX**

 _Inside the bridge…_

"They're talking."

"She looks really calm. I guess people like her recover really quick."

"You knOw, they look cute together. Old-people cute, ya know…"

"But…he looks too old for her!"

"Soos, Wendy, get away from the window and give 'em some privacy."

"Okay, Mr. Pines!"

 **XXXXX**

"For a fortnight, we searched for you everywhere: all over the Blue Guild, then the surrounding forest, and then the Maesters reached out to the other Guilds."

Maegella turned the staff in her hands. "I tried not to think of the worst. I convinced myself that you have probably found your way out of Rothezar and simply…didn't think to tell me." The grip on the staff tightened. "I never stopped to think that someone would wish you harm in Rothezar. We promised you protection within the Blue Guild, and I fai—we failed you…"

She gave a start when Ford covered one of her hands with his own. Maegella looked up from her staff to see Ford looking at her with a look of kind understanding.

"Maegella, I never blamed or suspected you for my kidnapping and eviction from Rothezar," he said. "Not once in the twenty years since I left. I mean, you defended me when every other Guild there thought I was a spy sent by Bill…"

"Stanford, you exaggerate," Maegella chuckled weakly, patting Ford's hand with her other hand. "Well, Darreon exaggerated first…"

Ford coughed. He could not tell if Maegella ignored it or did not hear it.

"When we contacted the other Guilds, they did not worry as DarreoN had that your appearance meant that the Cipher can re-enter our world. If you were in his thrall, they said the wards around the Blue Guild would have incapacitated you instantly."

"Wards?"

Maegella nodded. "The day you disappeared, I went about and asked the Maesters around the Guild if they could share how one could be protected from the Cipher. When I told her why you wanted to meet with them, Maester Arra told me that the Founders placed wards all around the Guilds and the city of Rothezar. The making of the wards was discovered by accident during the Fight of the Five."

"How?"

"When they discovered the disgraced Leader was possessed by the Cipher and nearing completion of the gateway, the other Leaders went and fought the Disgraced One. While possessing him, the Cipher amplified the magic of the Disgraced One, and he nearly defeated the other four. However, one of the other Leaders unintentionally performed an exorcism. This Leader had a whip made of the hair of the _nimras_ , and it seemed to be offensive to the demon during their fight. Eventually, they wound the whip around the Disgraced One until the Cipher was forced out. After destroying the gateway, they set about creating the wards and spread it all over Rothezar. In a way, when the Cipher sent the otherworld crafts to war with us, they realized the wards worked."

"Fascinating," said Ford. Then a thought popped into his head. "Maegella, what exactly is a _nimras_?" he asked cautiously.

"The _nimras_ resemble the _lobros_ , except that they used to have manes of different colors and have a sharp horn sticking out of their foreheads," Maegella replied. She became concerned when she noticed Ford's expression of shock and exasperation cross his face. "What's wrong, Stanford?"

Ford clapped a free hand to his forehead. "Of course…it _had_ to be unicorns!" he groaned. "Wait, _used to_ have manes?"

Maegella nodded. "We rarely see them nowadays, but the few people who do report that the _nimras_ no longer sport manes. Only their tails have hair."

Before Ford could respond to this, the door opened and Soos poked his head out. Ford and Maegella looked up; Soos' eyes were wide and worried.

"Uh, you guys should come in here and listen to this," said Soos.

 **XXXXX**

Maegella and Ford followed Soos back to the bridge. Wendy had taken over the helm from Stan. Stan was in front of the ham radio, fiddling with the dials. The ham radio was emitting some static, and a familiar piping voice.

Ford caught part of Mabel's transmission as they approached Stan.

"…so wEird, Grunkle Stan!" cried Mabel over the static. "Dipper is out of commission, and I need to tell Grunkle Ford! He knows his weird stuff!"

Stan turned around and spotted his brother. "He's here, sweetie," he said gruffly, standing up to give the seat to Ford. "Tell him what you tried to tell us earlier."

Ford took the seat and the mic from Stan. "I'm here, Mabel," he said into the mic. "What's wrong, dear? How's Dipper?"

"Grunkle Ford! Dipper is **not** okay! I think he's being possessed…!"

 **XXXXX**

 _Piedmont, California – February 17_

Mabel let go of the tray of cookies and milk in shock.

"DIPPER!" she cried, running towards her twin.

Dipper was floating vertically over his bed, rotating slowly in the darkened room. His head was down, chin nearly touching his chest. Through his bangs, Mabel spotted some kind of illumination coming from his face. It was only when Mabel was right below him that she realized that his forehead was glowing.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" squeaked Mabel, jumping onto Dipper's bed and grabbing his hands with the intent to pull him down, but she let go of them immediately.

"Ow! What the…? My brother's hot!" Mabel paused and realized what she just said. "Guh, I am _so_ glad no one is here to hear that."

Mabel looked around. She jumped off the bed and ran towards her dresser, pulling out a pair of mittens. "This should do it," she muttered, pulling on the mittens and racing back to Dipper's bed.

Mabel leaped up on the bed and began to pull at her floating brother. The unnatural heat from her brother's hands immediately seeped into the mittens.

"Come on," Mabel growled, trying to bring her brother down with her whole body weight. It felt like there was some kind of invisible pull keeping Dipper up at this exact position. "Budge, Dipper, budge!"

She chanced to look up at her unconscious brother. Some of his bangs covered up his forehead, and Mabel decided to stop pulling him down and see what was glowing under his hair. She reached up on her toes to brush aside the hair from his burning forehead. When she saw it, Mabel gasped.

"No. WAY."

It was right then that Dipper's eyes opened. Mabel yelped in horror; Dipper's eyes were no longer a warm brown, but mostly white. His eyes were glowing WHITE.

Faintly, Mabel was aware of her parents' voices coming up from downstairs just as Dipper raised his head.

" **MFVM PEEJ DS. V QNQK OAWPCI,** " he said in a quiet voice.

"Uh, what?" Mabel asked.

" **MFVM PEEJ DS. V QNQK OAWPCI,** " he repeated. Dipper looked away from Mabel to a spot ahead of him, raised his arms wide and brought his hands together to make a loud CLAP.

By the time their parents reached their room, Mabel was lying on the floor feeling dizzy, Dipper had dropped back onto the bed, unconscious and with his birthmark not glowing anymore, and their house and the other houses within a 20-mile radius lost power.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** The KEY is in this chapter. Find "the mystery of gravity falls" to decrypt the cipher.


	10. Projection

**Projection**

 _The Stan O'War II, heading for California – February 18_

"And after they checked up on me and Dipper, Mom took Dipper's temperature and said that he needed to go to the hospital," said Mabel over on the radio. "They didn't believe me when I told them that we had to talk to you first, Grunkle Ford! Well, _Mom_ didn't believe me; Dad's a bit more open-minded. After Dipper got in the hospital, I managed to convince Dad to take me home so that I could try contacting you again on the radio. The power's back on, by the way."

Behind Ford, Maegella turned around and walked towards the small table on the other side of the room. Beside him, Stan took off his beanie and ran a hand through his gray hair; his mouth was set into a hard, straight line.

On Ford's other side, Soos turned to Wendy. "So, Dipper has a glowing birthmark and the power to turn off electricity like one of those clapping light things?" he asked her. "Did _you_ know about this, Wendy?"

Wendy clapped a hand to her forehead. "Birthmarks don't do that, Soos," she muttered. "And Dipper is an amazing kid, but that was a new development according to Mabel!"

She turned to find Maegella seated on the small table, rummaging in her knapsack. Wendy tapped Soos on the shoulder and signaled to him to head towards the table.

"So, your brother and mother are in the hospital, and your Dad is with you," Ford summarized quickly, giving his tense, worried brother a quick look. "Mabel, did anything else happen between the trip to the hospital and before you left the hospital? Did Dipper remember anything from…?"

"He didn't wake up, Grunkle Ford," Mabel said in a quiet voice. "He seems to have fallen asleep, but nothing we do could wake him up. Does he need a princess to kiss him and wake him up?"

Ford leaned back against the chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Several things were adding up, and it wasn't good.

Stan took the mic from Ford. "Mabel, we're heading to California in a few hours," he said. "We're bringing someone who might be able to help…"

" _Might_ be able to help?" said a deep voice from the ham radio. "That doesn't sound very reassuring when it's my son's well-being on the line here."

The new voice surprised everyone inside the bridge.

Maegella paused in her search to ask curiously, "Who is that?"

"It's Ben," answered Ford, swiveling in his seat to look at the group of people by the table. "Mabel and Dipper's father: our nephew…"

Stan picked up the mic again. "Hiiiiii, Beeeeen," he said in his best false chipper voice, giving Ford a nervous glance.

"Hi Uncle Stan," replied Ben. "And hi to you too, Uncle Ford."

"Hello, Ben," said Ford when Stan pointed the mic to his face. "Listen, we…"

"Let's cut to the chase, Uncles: I heard everything," said Ben. "And just to let you know: as far as the doctors and Sarah are concerned, Dipper is unconscious and burning up with a fever, and they're now trying to find out what's causing it. Sarah isn't buying the story that Mabel just shared about Dipper and the blackout—along with the other phenomenon that Mabel wrote to us about last summer. She thinks Dipper's condition and the power outage are two separate things and have no connection to each other whatsoever."

"And you?" Stan asked gruffly (he was still holding the mic). "What do you think?"

"I'm surprised you asked, Uncle Stan," Ben replied. "I believed Mabel, of course."

Ford grabbed the mic from Stan's hand just as Stan grinned and slapped a hand on the table. "Good man," he said fondly.

Ford now spoke into the mic. "You're taking this rather well, Ben," he said. He couldn't keep the curiosity out of his voice.

"Uncle Ford, I spent a couple of summers in the Mystery Shack before I got into college," said Ben, chuckling. "I've witnessed a couple of gnome raids in the kitchen and the occasional cow-headed man passing by the forest to know that the weirdness is real, but unlike the kids, Uncle Stan convinced me that those were a figment of my dri—uh— _imagination_ …"

Somewhere in the background, they could just barely hear Mabel say, "Imagination, Dad? You?"

Ford crossed his arms and gave Stan a quizzical look. Stan responded by rolling his eyes.

"Ben was _legally_ an adult at the time," Stan muttered, making sure that the mic in Ford's hand wasn't picking this up. "And Pitt Cola just came out with their new line of wine coolers…"

As though he had followed their discussion, Ben added, "Uncle Stan, you have some explaining to do when you get here."

"Uh, about what?" asked Stan.

"About covering up all the weirdness while I was there. And the Pitt Coolers…thank God they stopped making those."

"Ugh, why did I remember THAT?" Stan grumbled, shuddering. To Ford, Stan whispered, "Remember the cough syrup Ma used to make us take when we were sick? That stuff tasted WAY better than Pitt Coolers."

 **XXXXX**

While the two Stans were talking to their nephew, Soos and Wendy were observing Maegella. From her knapsack, Maegella picked up several objects and placed them on the table: the Spotting Saucer, the orb, and a small blue drawstring bag. She stared at the items on the table, frowning and contemplative.

Wendy attempted to open the line of communication: "Maegella, what's all this for?"

The older woman gave Wendy and Soos a brief glance before looking back at the objects on the table. "I am about to attempt to search for the Sigil on this plane of existence," Maegella replied. She looked at the backs of the two Stans, then retrieved the items from the table and walked towards the door. "We'll need to do this outside."

Soos and Wendy looked at each other and followed her.

"Miss Maegella," Soos said hesitantly during the short trek to the deck, looking to Wendy for support. Wendy nodded at him, and Soos cleared his through to continue: "Dipper needs our help. He needs _your_ help, if this is some magic biz..."

"I understand, Soos, and I will help, but I need to make sure…" muttered Maegella, pausing at the door leading to the deck. Then, more to herself: "Oh, I need to make sure! He didn't—he couldn't have…"

She shook her head and opened the door.

"What?" asked Wendy. "Who's 'he'?"

Maegella walked to the center of the deck and turned to look at Wendy. The older woman looked tense. It seemed like she was contemplating on how much she could share.

Then, Maegella decided to say, "I do not have all the facts, Wendy. I do not want to jump to conclusions, but the timing and events are worrisome. I need to perform this spell and make sure that Dipper's condition and my quest are not one and the same."

Wendy gasped. Soos crossed his fingers.

Maegella then kneeled on the deck and opened the drawstring bag. She picked up a clod of dark earth from inside, crushing it in her hand and crumpling the stuff on the deck, forming a circle. Soos and Wendy moved to stand next to Maegella.

"Why are you sprinkling dirt on the floor?" asked Wendy.

"I suspected earlier that I will need the earth from here to perform a Searching Spell," explained Maegella. "Before we left Gravity Falls, I went outside and dug some earth around the house; I had to use some magic to extract from the frozen ground. Also, I could not use the Spotting Saucer to follow Worgel indefinitely; as you can see, the spell has worn off." She pointed to the Spotting Saucer, which was not glowing as it did the previous night. "He could be anywhere by now."

Once she was satisfied with the earth circle, she brushed the dirt off her hands and picked up the Spotting Saucer, placing it in the middle of the circle. Then she put the orb on top of the Saucer. Maegella stared at this set up, then picked up her staff and stood up.

"I hope this works here," she said. She turned to Soos and Wendy. "I did not think I would need to do this; my original plan was to track stop Worgel from finding the Sigil." She pointed to the setup on the floor. "The orb will show what the Saucer will find, which will be the most powerful source of magic on this world. Unless there is another source of magic on this plane of existence, this should help us find the Sigil. Will you help me divulge what the orb will show?"

Soos nodded; he was now trying to cross all the fingers on his hands. Wendy swallowed and said, "Sure thing."

Maegella nodded back. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and raised her hands. She began to chant:

 _Elea i'dolen ara templa_

 _Elea i'dolen ara templa_

 _ELEA I'DOLEN ARA TEMPLA_

By the third repetition of the spell, Maegella's voice amplified, echoing beyond the deck. She opened her eyes, making Soos and Wendy gasp. It was brief, but it was hard to miss her eyes glowing white.

Maegella then tapped the orb with her staff.

Under the orb, the Spotting Saucer suddenly glowed with a bright blue light. The blue light suddenly expanded from the Saucer and dissipated over the Stan O'War II and out across the ocean.

Soos uncrossed his fingers and turned around. He could see the light passing over the ocean and disappearing over the horizon. "Wow!"

"Soos!" said Wendy. "Check this out!"

Soos turned around and saw what Wendy was seeing. "WOW!"

The now-glowing orb projected a gigantic image, about the same width as the deck. Like a movie being played on high speed, the projection showed the images of the ocean, then a great red suspension bridge, two small islands…

"What is going on here?!"

Soos and Wendy nearly jumped at the sound of Ford's voice. They turned away from the projection of the orb and spotted Stan and Ford near the door. The brothers sported identical looks of shock at the setup on their deck.

Stan started to move towards Maegella; Ford, without looking away from the projection, reached out and grabbed his brother's arm, stopping him.

"Hold it!" Ford whispered loudly. To Soos and Wendy, he asked, "What is she looking for?"

"The Sigil thing, Mr. Ford!" Soos stage-whispered back.

"Wait a second," said Stan, staring at the next round of images. "That looks…kind of familiar…"

Everyone looked back at the projection, which was showing images of a city. Stan got out of Ford's grip and walked to stand next to Maegella.

The projection now slowed down to a stop at a large building with a beige and blue façade. Then, instead of moving forward, the scene moved up until it stopped at a window. The window disappeared; they were able to see inside.

It was a hospital room.

Sitting near the bed was a worried-looking woman with black hair tied back in a ponytail, flipping through a fashion magazine but not really reading it. Her eyes darted between the magazine and at the small, unconscious figure on the bed.

Everyone on the boat gasped.

"Aw, Dipper," Wendy groaned.

"He looks so small lying there without a hat," Soos said sadly.

Stan took off his beanie; like Ford beside him, he ran a hand through his hair. "Aw, kid," he muttered.

Ford stepped forward; he looked down at Maegella. She was staring at Dipper's sleeping form in shock.

"It cannot be," she whispered, shaking her head. "This boy, he has the Sigil on his forehead! How could…how could he? _How could he?_ " she said, wringing her hands.

"'He'?" asked Ford. "Who are you talking about, Maegella?"

"Maester Gelvin," replied Maegella, shaking her head in disbelief. "He was the last person…he took the Sigil and escaped with it. I saw it—I helped him escape thirteen years ago…threw Duroc's accomplices off his trail…"

"Thirteen years ago?" interjected Stan, standing on Maegella's other side. "The kids are thirteen!"

Maegella's eyes grew wider; she looked between Stan and back at the projected image of Dipper.

"How has he survived?" she asked, awestruck. "All this time, he has worn the Sigil on his forehead. A powerful object, and he has not suffered ill effects until recently!"

"I don't get it either," said Stan, scratching his head. "I mean, we all thought it was a weird-lookin' birthmark…"

"Hot Belgian waffles!" Ford suddenly yelled, startling everyone on deck. Ford pointed at Dipper. "Look at his forehead!"

Everyone looked. The "birthmark" on Dipper's forehead was glowing white. Beside him, his mother's head began to droop.

"What's going on?" Wendy called out.

"I—I don't know," Maegella said, perplexed.

In the projection, Sarah Pines suddenly slumped sideways on her seat just as Dipper opened his eyes. But his eyes were glowing, just like his forehead.

And he turned his head and looked straight at them.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's note:** Regarding Ben, I estimate that he would have been 13 when Ford was lost to the Portal, and 30 years old when he became a father to Dipper and Mabel. He would be 42 years old in 2012. I based this age on **fordtato's** (fordtato DOT tumblr DOT com) computations and the theory that the twin's parent was the baby in the flashback in "A Tale of Two Stans".


	11. The Stare

**The Stare**

 _The Stan O'War II, heading for California – February 18_

"He saw us!" Soos gasped. He clapped a hand to one cheek while the other hand pointed at the projection. From the projection, it looked like Dipper was staring at everyone on deck with his glowing white eyes.

"Soos, you know those times when Dipper looks serious about something?" Wendy said quietly, staring at Dipper with a look of fascinated horror.

"Yup," replied Soos.

"He's got that expression on right now, but the white eyes are making him look _creepy_."

"Oh yeah," agreed Soos. "Definitely. Absolutely."

"Ugh…"

Ford tore his eyes away from Dipper's face to see Stan grab Maegella to steady her. She had swayed on her feet and clapped a hand to her forehead. Ford immediately reached out to hold her up.

"Hey, what's happening, Mage?" asked Stan.

" _Mani…uma lle merna?_ " cried Maegella, letting go of her staff; it hit the deck with a clatter. Despite the twins' support, she started to sink to the floor. Soos and Wendy rushed to flank the two brothers, concern etched on their faces.

Ford and Stan looked at each other in confusion.

"What's she saying, Ford?" Stan asked nervously.

"I don't know," Ford replied, looking tense. "But it sounds like the language they use when they have to cast spells."

He looked back at the projection. Soos was nearly right; Dipper—or whatever it was that made his forehead and eyes glow—somehow sensed the presence of a spell-caster and seemed to be communicating with her. Most likely through a mental link, as Dipper was just staring in their direction without a change in his solemn expression.

Ford moved to stand in front of Maegella and dropped to his knees. He grasped her shoulders and said, "Maegella, can you hear me? Snap out of it!"

" _Tampa_ ," she groaned. She sounded like she was in pain.

"Florida?" Stan replied, scratching his head.

" _Tampa! Mani naa lle umien? Tampa!_ STOP!"

Maegella raised her head, looking directly at Ford.

"Sweet Moses!" Stan yelled, letting go of Maegella.

Ford and everyone else gasped when they saw her eyes were glowing white just like Dipper's eyes. Wide-eyed Maegella raised her hand at the projection.

"Stop it," she gasped. "Please…"

Ford nodded. He turned around and kicked the orb off the Spotting Saucer, sending it spinning to one side of the deck with a THUNK. The projection immediately dissipated in front of them, and Maegella pitched forward, her eyes returning to normal. Stan and Wendy grabbed her before her head collided with Ford's back. Ford turned around to face Maegella again.

"Easy there, sister," said Stan, pulling her back carefully to a sitting position. Maegella blinked and rubbed her forehead; she looked dazed. A sheen of sweat shined on her brow.

"Maegella, are you alright?" he asked, trying hard to mask the panic in his voice. "What happened?"

"Ford, we gotta bring her inside," said Stan. He looked closely at Maegella. "Or maybe not. She looks like she's gonna hurl."

"Stan!" Wendy grouched, glaring at her old boss.

"Give me a moment, if you will," Maegella said in a weak, shaky voice. She looked around at everyone and continued, "I am sorry for putting you through that, but this…this confirms that your nephew's condition and my quest are the same. We need to get to him as soon as possible."

She took a deep breath and attempted to stand up, but Ford's hands on her shoulders stopped her.

"Hold on; I don't think you've recovered enough from what happened earlier…whatever it was," Ford told her. "What exactly happened earlier? What is happening to Dipper?!"

Ford could no longer mask his growing alarm. A member of his family is in danger and he needed answers.

Maegella looked down at her hands, frowning. "I do not—understand it myself. But when he looked at me, I was—overwhelmed." She raised her head to look at the people around her. "Did I say anything?"

"Uhm, you started talking in a language that none of us understand and then your eyes glowed," replied Soos.

Maegella looked shocked. "I spoke another language?"

Everyone else nodded. Ford clarified, "It sounded like the same one you use to cast spells."

Now Maegella looked perplexed. "Oh my…we only know the spells, not the whole language! Well, I saw things…strange things. Visions, I think. I saw young Dipper; his eyes were normal, but his forehead glowed with the Sigil on it. Then, I saw the Guardian, Mek-Death. Its eyes glowed above its helm and…the crafts. Strange crafts from the sky…"

Maegella paused and shook her head. She raised her hands and grasped Ford's shoulders.

"Stanford, we cannot waste time! We need to reach Dipper as soon as possible. He needs our help!"

"We _are_ heading there right now, but what help does he need?" demanded Stan as Ford let go of Maegella's shoulders and started to get back up on his feet.

"The Sigil was dormant for nearly all of Dipper's life until yesterday; I understand that now," replied Maegella. She picked up her staff, took the hand that Ford offered her and carefully pulled herself up. She gave Stan a worried look. "I dare not think what an _active_ Sigil will do to him the longer it stays on his person. I know some spells that might help, but you must know this: Dipper's situation is unprecedented. Nothing like it has ever happened in Rothezar's history."

Ford nodded; he turned to look at Stan. "Time to fire up the old tub."

"Fire up the rockets on this thing?" said Stan incredulously. He carefully stood up, joints popping and cracking like Mabel's Fizz Rocks candy. "That might be hard to pull off without people noticing. It's still daylight, Poindexter."

Then, after a slight pause: "Ah, what the heck. Let's do this!"

 **XXXXX**

 _Moments later…_

"What do you mean we can't do this?!" demanded Stan.

"We can't," Ford growled, scowling at the ship's wheel. "The magical interference earlier conked out the power. We're sitting dead in the water."

Ford's suspicions were raised when he noticed that he couldn't hear the engines of the Stan O'War II while walking inside the bridge.

"Aw, crud!" muttered Wendy.

"Oh no!" cried Soos. "Isn't there some way to jump start the boat?"

"I could do that, no problem, but it'll take time," explained Ford.

"We will make time," said Maegella sternly. "Stanford, will you be able to steer us to the next port without your 'electrics'?"

"I believe so," replied Ford, looking at Maegella questioningly.

"That is reassuring to know," said Maegella. She turned to Wendy and said, "Will you assist me on deck, Wendy?"

"Uh, sure thing," replied Wendy. Then, as they walked away from the men, "Help you with what?"

"Help you with what?" asked Ford almost at the same time.

"To push the boat," explained Maegella, pushing open the door and walking back to the middle of the deck.

"Whoa, hold on there!" Wendy exclaimed, raising her hands. "Can you do another spell after what happened to you a while ago? No offense, Maegella, but you don't look so good."

"I must try, Wendy," said Maegella, walking slowly towards the edge of the deck.

"Need any help, ladies?" asked a gravelly voice.

Wendy and Maegella turned around to see Stan stepping away from the open door.

"What are you doing out here, Stan?" asked Wendy.

"Ford wants me to keep an eye on you two while he steers the Stan O'War," he replied. Pointing a thumb at Maegella, he said in a softer voice, "She about to do another magic trick?"

Wendy nodded. They turned to observe Maegella.

Maegella walked to the edge of the deck and faced the ocean. She raised her staff high over her head and made wide, circular motions. Stan had a fleeting vision of Probabilitor the Annoying doing a similar movement with his staff somewhere in the woods of Gravity Falls. He also remembered the satisfaction he felt beating that nerd wizard at that nerd game.

" _Yala onna en' alu!_ " cried Maegella, swinging her staff down at an arc. However, the momentum from the swing nearly made her lose her balance. Maegella reached out with her staff-free hand and grabbed the edge of the deck.

"Maegella!" cried Wendy.

"Woah there!" shouted Stan at the same time.

Stan and Wendy ran towards Maegella and pulled her away from the edge. Stan held her steady; up close, he noticed Maegella's wan complexion and the sheen of sweat on her brow.

"Here, take a seat, missy," he said, leading her to a corner of the deck near the door. "You look like you're gonna pass out."

Wendy took a peek over the edge of the deck. All she saw was the blue-green ocean lapping against the boat, nothing out of the ordinary. "What was that spell supposed to do, Maegella?" she asked.

Maegella wiped the cold sweat from her brow with her hand. "It was supposed to summon a water elemental," she replied. "When I mentioned about pushing the boat, I meant that the elemental will do the pushing, not us." She buried her face into her hands. "I'm sorry…"

Stan placed a hand on her shoulder, making Maegella look up at him. "Don't sweat it, missy," he said, giving her a small smile. "Appreciate it that you want to help my family. Anyway, Ford can jump start this tub quicker than you can say that spell you said earlier. Come on; you better lie down while we fire up the engines. And no arguing about it," he said sternly, when Maegella was about to say something. "Cap'n Stan has spoken."

Wendy opened the door as Stan led Maegella back into the bridge.

 **XXXXX**

 _Berkeley Marina Parking Lot – February 18, a few hours later_

"Wow…they're here. They're really here!"

Beside him, Ben's daughter could barely suppress a squeal. He felt Mabel's hand squeeze his own very tightly as she started bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Almost all of my favorite people are here!" she said in a voice that was a mixture of a stage whisper and a shrill squeal.

"Hey, what about me, Mom, and Dipper, huh?" Ben asked her in a mock-surprise tone, complete with a hand to his chest to pretend shock.

Mabel looked up at her Dad and smiled. "I have a _lot_ of favorite people, Dad. You, Mom, Dipper _and_ Waddles are my favorite people, too!" She punctuated her statement by hugging him tightly.

Ben smiled and ruffled her hair. He was a little glad the arrival of his Uncles and a couple of friends from Gravity Falls was making Mabel happy. He knew he would be a lot happier if Dipper was here to welcome them and share in Mabel's excitement. The kids have been looking forward to winter break since learning that their Great Uncles coming. But his son was in the hospital, and the thought sobered him.

Ben looked up as the group of people got closer.

Leading the group were his two uncles, Stan and Ford. After formally meeting both his uncles last Christmas—the uncle he had thought was Stanford finally came clean and introduced himself as Stanley—Ben was able to tell the two apart on sight. Uncle Stan wore a red wool beanie, a long brown coat over a white shirt and tan slacks. Next to him, Uncle Ford wore a dark gray hoodie that was partially zipped up, exposing the red turtleneck sweater he wore underneath, and black pants.

(That Christmas was a memorable event. He thought his father was going to have a heart attack when he spotted _both_ his brothers sitting next to his grandchildren. That was the day Ben realized his family's history was more interesting than he originally thought.)

Behind the two brothers were three people: a red-headed teenage girl wearing a red flannel jacket and a blue-and-white cap, a tall woman with darker red hair wearing a long blue cloak, and a large fellow in a green jacket with an amiable face and large front teeth that reminded Ben of a gopher.

Mabel let go of her father's hand and ran towards the group. Stan and Ford knelt down simultaneously and opened their arms to embrace their great-niece. When his uncles knelt, Ben noticed that the woman in the blue cloak was holding a blue staff.

"Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford! You made it! My favoritest Grunkles in the world are here!" Mabel shrieked before catapulting herself into their arms. She squeezed them tightly, relishing the giant combined hug from her Grunkles.

"Hey, you know us," said Stan, ruffling Mabel's hair. "Call us, and we'll come running."

"Absolutely," confirmed Ford. "And we're your only Grunkles…"

"Don't ruin this, Ford," Stan grumbled.

They let go of Mabel, who now looked at the people behind her. "Wendy! Soos! Welcome to California!"

"Hey, Mabel!" chorused Wendy and Soos. Mabel gave her friends individual hugs.

"Oh, I missed you guys so much!" Mabel gushed. "I missed _all of you_!"

After hugging them, Mabel looked around and spotted the stranger behind Wendy. She stood a few steps away from them, giving them privacy for their reunion while clutching a light blue staff in her hands.

"Oh, introductions again!" said Soos. He led Mabel to where Maegella stood and said, "Mabel this is Maegella. She's the magical lady who's going to help Dipper! Maegella, this is Mabel. Mabel is Dipper's twin sister!"

Maegella raised her staff to Mabel during the introductions. As Mabel approached her, Maegella lowered her staff and knelt down, raising a hand to shake with the young girl. "Greetings, Mabel."

"Oooooooh," breathed Mabel, reaching out to shake Maegella's hand. "You're _beautiful_! And I _love_ your outfit! Is that a magical staff? Do you have an owl?!"

All at once, Maegella was charmed, flattered and confused by Mabel's rapid-fire and sincere compliments. All she could say to Mabel's compliments were "Thank you. Though I do not have an owl, whatever it is."

"Oh, they're really cool birds that wizards use to send mail. But I guess that only happens in Harry Potter." Mabel explained quickly, waving her hands. Then, she became subdued; she let go of Maegella's hand and stepped back, rubbing her arm. "Can you help my brother? Really help him?"

Maegella looked at Mabel. She reached out for Mabel's hand; Mabel looked at it, then placed her hand in the older woman's hand, which was then covered by Maegella's other hand.

"I will help him, Mabel. I will help him to the best of my abilities." she said, giving the young girl a reassuring smile. Mabel smiled back hopefully.

A cough in the background made Maegella and Mabel look up; Stan, Ford, and Ben were standing behind them next to Soos and Wendy. Maegella and Mabel stood up.

"Maegella, this is our nephew, Ben. He's Mabel and Dipper's father," said Stan (Maegella raised her staff to Ben). "Ben, this is Maegella. She's a friend of Ford's from the Portal."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Ben said politely, raising a hand to shake, which Maegella shook.

Maegella looked at Ben and remarked, "You look a lot like your uncles."

Ben laughed. "So I've been told," he said. "Dad tells me I look like a skinnier version of Uncle Stan here."

Stan coughed. It sounded suspiciously like "muscles!" Mabel tried to stifle a giggle.

Ford shook his head and said, "I think it's best that we go on ahead to the hospital so that Maegella can assess the situation and do what she needs to do."

Ben nodded and started walking to the middle of the parking lot. "We're parked nearby," he said, pointing to a silver minivan at a distance. "I think we'll all fit!"

"I wanna sit between Grunkles!" said Mabel as they reached the van. "Grunkle sandwich!"

Eventually, everyone got into the minivan and left the parking lot. Maegella rode shotgun next to Ben, who was driving; Mabel sat between Stan and Ford, and Soos and Wendy sat in the rear. Maegella, Soos and Wendy looked out of the windows, fascinated with the scenery.

"So, which hospital are we headed to, Ben?" asked Stan.

"Renzetti Permanente Hospital, Uncle Stan," said Ben, stopping the van at a red light. "Same place where the twins were born, remember."

Stan blinked. "Yeah…yeah, I was there," he said slowly. "Longest time I ever closed up the Shack. Drove all the way from Gravity Falls just to be there."

Ben smiled as he drove on ahead at the green light. "Dad thought you'd be conked out during the main event; that was a long drive you made then. I remembered it like it was yesterday: you were absolutely delighted that Mabel punched the doctor in the jaw. Then, after Dipper got better, you wouldn't let Dad hold the babies for hours…"

Stan laughed, then abruptly stopped. "Wait, what was that about Dipper again?"

"Don't you remember?" asked Ben. "Dipper was put on observation after he was nearly strangled by the umbilical cord." He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning at the memory.

"Sweet Moses, really?" asked Ford.

"Oh my goodness," breathed Maegella. "I can't imagine what it must be like."

"Longest 24 hours of our lives," Ben murmured. "We all waited in the room for the results while Uncle Stan walked all over the hospital. Couldn't sit still in the room, he said…"

"Grunkle Stan, are you okay?" asked Mabel.

Stan did not answer her. He started to remember…

 _He walked down the white corridor. He needed to get somewhere; he didn't know what else to do to console the worried new parents and the troubled new grandfather. He needed answers that would relieve him of the worry and anxiety he felt for his new grand-nephew. He didn't want to think that his new grand-niece would grow up without her twin…_

 _Before he reached the end of the corridor, a flash of bright white light suddenly appeared from the right._

 _"Huh," said Stan. "What the heck was that?"_

 _He reached the end of the corridor and turned right._

 _There was another stretch of walls and floor here, but on the right side of this hallway was a large door and what looked to be a large window, where another room seemed to be. There wasn't anything here that would have produced the flash of white light. Perhaps it was a malfunctioning bulb…_

 _The door opened and a man wearing a white coat and holding a gray cane stepped out of it. Limp gray curls framed the wrinkled face of a man at least twenty years his senior. He had a beaky nose, a trim white beard, and dark, tired eyes. Stan thought the old boy had a long day; it was past 10 PM._

 _The man realized that there was someone standing nearby. "May I help you?" he asked in a pleasant, mellow voice._

 _"What's the news, doc?" Stan asked the older man. "I mean, about my nephew's son? Uh, baby boy Pines? Is he gonna be okay?"_

 _The older man smiled. He stepped forward, placed two veined hands on his shoulders, and said, "He will be fine, sir. They will care for each other."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I mean…he's a twin. They will care for each other. That's what I meant," the older man explained quickly. "I beg pardon; it has been a long day."_

 _"I'll bet," agreed Stan. He felt relieved; his new nephew was going to be okay! "Eesh! You look like you need a break, doc."_

 _"Yes," said the other man, patting Stan's shoulder and walking away. He sounded so tired. "Yes…I do need a break. I will see you when I see you, Mr. Pines."_

 _But that was the last that Stan ever saw of him._

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** I nearly had the family reunion happen in the Port of Oakland. Sure, it's closer to Piedmont according to Google Maps, but I realized it was a commercial port. Oops.

I'm also planning on writing the Christmas reunion. I just need to flesh out some plot.

Apologies if there are any errors in the Tolkien Elvish I used here so far. I copied them from The Grey Company DOT org. What Maegella said were:

 _Mani uma lle merna?_ – What do you want?

 _Mani naa lle umien?_ – What are you doing?

 _Tampa!_ – Stop!


	12. On the Way

**On the Way**

 _En route to Renzetti Permanente Hospital – February 18_

"Stanley? Stanley, are you okay?"

"Grunkle Stan?"

Stan jerked in surprise and looked at his brother on his right. "It was the hospital, Ford."

Ford blinked. "What?"

"The white hallway I've been dreaming about," said Stan. "It was at the hospital where the kids were born!" He then proceeded to share what he remembered.

"I think I walked all the way to the nursery and never realized it," Stan concluded. He looked down at Mabel and smiled at her. "Went to the window to take a peek, but the nurse shooed me away. Told me to come back the following morning during regular visiting hours. Never saw him again while I was visiting."

"I'd like to know that myself," mused Ben. "The doctor who took care of Sarah and the kids was a woman named Dr. Terrance. Very sweet lady. We still get a card from her every Christmas."

"Perhaps the man Stan saw was a consultant when they were observing Dipper after the birth," speculated Ford. "Unless…Maegella, what does this Gelvin guy look like?"

"Gelvin?" chorused Mabel and Ben.

Maegella frowned. She turned around in her seat to try to look at Ford. "Stanley's description of the man does not match Maester Gelvin. Maester Gelvin has blue eyes, a hook nose, and straight white hair. He does not—did not sport a beard the last time I saw him thirteen years ago."

Stan huffed. "Well, guess that's one memory checked. Thought it was important…"

"Mind telling me who this Gelvin guy is?" asked Ben. "At least, get me and Mabel up to speed here until we get to the hospital."

And so the next several minutes of the car ride were spent by regaling Mabel and Ben with the short version of Maegella's quest. When they got to explaining that Dipper's birthmark was the powerful Sigil that she was looking for, Ben jerked his hands on the steering wheel, swerving the minivan sharply. A cacophony of furious honking from the other vehicles on the road started.

"Jeez, I'm sorry!" Ben yelled.

"I'm so glad I didn't crush Wendy!" cried Soos.

"I can't believe I survived," Wendy grumbled.

"Dad! Stop driving like Grunkle Stan!" yelled Mabel.

"Hey!" Stan reacted.

"She has a point, Stan," Ford grouched, rubbing his head. "Are you okay up there, Maegella?"

Maegella just squeaked; Mabel carefully peeked around and found the woman clutching at the seatbelt for dear life, her eyes wide with shock. The thirteen-year-old winced.

"Maybe we shouldn't have put her in the front seat," she told her Grunkles as she sat back down. "Dad, you scared her!"

"I didn't mean to!" The van started slowing down. "Are you okay, ma'am?" Ben asked nervously.

"Fine," replied Maegella through gritted teeth. "I'm fine."

Ford, who sat behind Maegella, reached over to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. "Just take deep breaths," he said. "We're almost there. Right, Ben?"

"Almost," Ben agreed.

Maegella responded by having one hand let go of the seatbelt and patting Ford's hand with it. Ford smiled and let go, leaning back on his seat. Something made him look beside him; Stan and Mabel were looking at him with identical, speculative looks on their faces.

"What?" asked Ford, looking back at them in confusion.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," replied Stan, trying to look nonchalant. He immediately covered Mabel's mouth when he heard her deep intake of breath, knowing she was about to let something loud loose. Ford frowned at them before turning his gaze out his side of the window.

Mumbling grumpily, Mabel pried Stan's hand off her face and gestured to him to lean close. After Stan complied, she whispered, "Are they…you know…an item, Grunkle Stan?"

Stan could only shrug. He's an observant guy; sure, he needs a hearing aid and his eyesight was going (not to mention his erased memories returning in bits and pieces), but he knew himself enough. He picked up on things and either pretended to ignore them or it takes a bit longer to process, and then he makes use of the information when it counted. It was how he got by for over forty years (from what he could remember).

The interactions, reactions, and conversations that went between Ford and Maegella raised some flags, and the biggest flag of all was how his brother composed himself in her presence. Stan knows his brother: as teenagers, when faced with girls (particularly the pretty ones), Ford would become flustered and say the darndest things. It was like his giant brain short-circuited in the presence of women. It wasn't as bad _now_ ; when they stopped at ports for supplies, Ford could hold a conversation with the opposite gender, though he was noticeably shy and somewhat uncomfortable. With Maegella, this did not happen: Ford talked to her without making an ass of himself. And Stan initially thought that Maegella was an unemotional woman…until Ford shared how he was chucked out of her dimension. Her reaction was telling; another flag. Stan heard Soos and Wendy discussing compatibility earlier, and now bubbly Mabel has picked up on it from Ford's simple gesture. For now, however, Dipper's well-being is a priority. He's downplaying this discovery for now.

When this is over, however, the first thing he'll do is _roast_ Ford about this…

Stan was pulled away from his musing by a commotion outside the van. They had stopped at another intersection; idling next to them were a bunch of rowdy California teenagers in a red top-down convertible. The driver was pointing at Maegella and yelling, "Hey lady! Hogwarts is THAT way!"

Maegella looked at him in confusion as the obnoxious boy's companions laughed uproariously. Before anyone else could react, Wendy suddenly squeezed herself beside Ford, pulled open the window of the minivan's sliding door, and tossed a large Slurpee cup and its contents on his head.

"Shut it, you knucklehead!" yelled Wendy. She slammed the window shut just as the light turned green.

"Floor it, Ben!" yelled Stan.

Ben set the transmission to drive and hightailed it out of there, leaving the convertible driver spluttering in his seat.

When they were a fair distance away, Ben cleared his throat. "Just to be clear, Mabel, that's something you should not do—"

"Come on, Ben," interrupted Stan. "That disrespectful twerp had it coming."

"Wendy actually beat me to it," added Ford. "Though I wouldn't have used a beverage to let him have it."

"I'm not done yet, guys," said Ben. "I meant that that is not something you should do _without_ backup."

"Oh," said Stan, blinking. "Why didn't you say so?"

"I just did," said Ben, shaking his head in amusement. Then in a more serious tone, "What happened back there, that does not leave the confines of this van nor should reach your mother's ears. Understood?"

"Aye, aye, Captain Dad!" saluted Mabel. She turned to Wendy. "By the way, where did you get a Slurpee? We didn't pass by a convenience store."

"Oh, I found a full cup in one of the cup holders here at the back," explained Wendy.

"Uh…that wasn't me!" Mabel squeaked, instantly facing front again.

Ben groaned. "Oh good gravy…that must have been from last week after we took the kids and their friends out for mini-golf!"

Everyone but Maegella cringed at the realization.

Maegella turned around and said, "You didn't have to do that, Wendy, but I thank you."

Wendy grinned and nodded at Maegella. "You're welcome!"

"But they do have a point," Maegella continued, looking down at herself. "My manner of dress is a distraction."

"Your cloak and staff are kind of distracting," said Wendy. "The rest of your outfit is fine, really."

"Oh," said Maegella. "Then a simple transformation spell should do, just to change my cloak, but I will need a reference."

"Oh, oh, oh!" cried Mabel. Maegella heard a rustling behind her, then a magazine was held out beside her. "Try this! It's one of Mom's _Fancy Ladies_ magazines."

"Thank you, Mabel," said Maegella, taking the colorful magazine and opening it. She could not read the words that were on it (there is another spell that could help her understand it, but that is not needed yet), but most of the contents were (to her) of colorful bottles, pictures of beautiful women in different clothing, and pictures of palettes of powders and liquids that seem to promise enhancements to the features of a woman's face and hair. Her eyes settled on the picture of a woman wearing a red coat, holding an unopened umbrella. The coat was not long, the length barely reaching the knees of the model, and it has buttons and a belt around the waist. It intrigued Maegella.

"We're here," announced Ben. Maegella looked up.

They stopped at a parking lot across the street from a large building with a blue and beige façade; the same building that was shown in her Searching Spell. The people at the back already started getting out of the van. Beside her, Ben helped her unbuckle the seatbelt. The front passenger door was opened by Ford, who held out a hand for Maegella.

"Thank you," said Maegella, taking Ford's hand and alighting from the van. "I need a discreet place to change…"

"Why not inside the van?" suggested Wendy. "The guys can wait out here and act as lookout."

"That will do nicely!" beamed Maegella.

She went to the back of the minivan and closed the door behind her as Wendy and Mabel ushered the men away from the vehicle.

"Come on, give the lady some privacy!" ordered Mabel as she pushed Ford away from the van.

"Move it, move it!" ordered Wendy. "Nobody turn around until Maegella steps out of the vehicle!"

"She's just going to transform her clothes," Ford grumbled, but that earned her a punch on the elbow from Mabel. Next to Ford, Stan tried and failed to stifle a snort.

All four men looked away from the van. Soos covered his eyes, just in case. Their first hint that it was done was Mabel going, "Oooooooh!"

Ford—who was careful of inciting another punch from Mabel—asked, "Is it okay to turn around now?"

Both Mabel and Wendy said, "Yes."

Ford was one of the first of the men to turn around. Ford was also the last man to stop staring.

Maegella exited the van wearing a ladies' pea coat that was the same hue of blue as her long cloak, her knapsack slung over her shoulder. In place of her light blue staff, she held a large light blue umbrella. The length of the pea coat showed her regular pants and knee-high boots. The overall effect made Maegella look like a very fashionable woman about town.

"You look so stylish and elegant, Miss Maegella!" Soos gushed. Beside Soos, Ben rubbed his eyes and Stan wolf-whistled and applauded. Ford was still staring at Maegella.

Maegella chuckled. "Thank you," she said. She turned to Ford and asked, "Ford, is something wrong?"

Ford felt Stan's elbow jab his side and Mabel's tug on his hand. Ford shook his head and rubbed the sharp pain away from one side of his ribs.

"It's—nothing's wrong!" he exclaimed, raising his hands. "I just—I was surprised seeing you in this dimension's clothes. You good look…I mean, you look good!"

Maegella smiled. She gestured to the building across the street and said, "So, shall we?"

"I'll lead the way, folks," offered Ben, whose lips were twitching. "Right this way, everybody."

"Walking buddies!" trilled Mabel as she latched herself on to her Grunkle Stan's hand. Stan grinned at his young niece as they followed Ben. They were followed closely by Wendy and Soos, and Ford and Maegella trailed them in the rear. At the front, Ben had taken out his cellphone and tried to make a call.

The group crossed the street and approached the wide double-doors of the hospital. Several feet away from the doors, Ben suddenly stopped walking.

"That's strange," he said, looking down at his phone. "I can't push a call through Sarah's phone." He looked around at the group and explained, "I was going to give Sarah a head's up before we go up to Dipper's room on the sixth floor."

"Maybe there's no signal up there, Dad," said Mabel.

"Maybe," said Ben, frowning. "Let's go inside."

The group were at the doors when Ford realized that Maegella hadn't followed them. He turned around and found her standing in the same place where they stood earlier. She was looking around the grounds and rubbing the back of her neck.

"Something wrong, Maegella?" asked Ford.

"Do you not feel it?" Maegella asked back, looking back at them in bewilderment.

"Feel what?" asked Wendy.

"It's strong magic; I can feel the hair at my nape rising…" Maegella murmured. She walked towards the double-doors and looked at Ben. "Where is Dipper in this building?"

"He's in room 618," replied Ben, opening one of the doors.

"This is a place of healing?" asked Maegella curiously.

Ford nodded. "We don't have your Healing Springs, but I can tell you that healthcare has improved immensely in the thirty years I have been away from this dimension."

The interior of the hospital was large and painted off-white. On the left was the reception desk, and straight ahead were the elevators. There was a large sign on an easel that said: **ELEVATORS ON MAINTENANCE. UP TO 5** **TH** **FLOOR ONLY**. A team of maintenance workers had opened one of the four elevators and was examining it.

"What the heck?" said Ben incredulously. "That wasn't there earlier."

Ben walked to the reception area and asked the harried-looking woman behind it, "'Scuse me, but what happened to the elevators? My son is confined on the sixth floor."

The receptionist sighed and looked at Ben. "I'm sorry, sir," she said in a practiced, calm tone. "We're working on fixing the issue with the elevators. It happened over three hours ago; no one is able to get past the fifth floor nor get down past the seventh floor. As you can see, a team of engineers are on hand to find the cause of the issue. If you want to visit your son, I suggest taking the elevator up to the fifth floor and taking the stairs the rest of the way."

"O-okay," said Ben. He turned around and addressed the group. "Looks like we don't have much of a choice."

"Let's go," said Ford.

They all trooped towards one available elevator. None of them noticed a hooded figure staring at them from the door leading to the stairs…

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** I was dropping hints here and there. Whether or not a pairing follows through remains to be seen…


	13. Tension at the Fifth

_Renzetti Permanente Hospital – February 18_

Maegella was quiet during the ascent to the fifth floor. She didn't immediately go through the metal doors like the others did, looking skeptically at the metal interior, and only conceded when Mabel took her hand and gently tugged her forward.

"It's nothing to be afraid of," said the young girl, looking up at Maegella with a reassuring smile. "Just think of it like a minivan, but with buttons! And it only goes up and down. Plus, Dad's not driving it."

"I heard that," Ben said dryly. Ford and Stan hid their matching grins behind their hands.

"And all done without magic or other visible means," murmured Maegella, letting Mabel pull her inside the box. "Intriguing." After realizing that none of her companions looked nervous about standing in a giant metal box, Maegella allowed herself to relax…and to reflect on her good fortune in meeting these nice but strange people in another plane of existence. With the exception of Stanford, these people did not know her and were not under any obligation to her, yet they have provided help and hospitality. Even a concern for her well-being.

Soos and Melody had followed her when she told them not to as she went to chase Worgel. Chutzpar had helped her when Soos asked for assistance. Wendy and her father had stopped Worgel from hurting her when she was rendered unconscious by the mysterious barrier. And Stanford and Stanley have brought all of them to this place to help her with her quest. Knowing that a member of their family was at the center of her quest made Maegella even more determined to help, to repay them for their kindness.

Maegella looked up; the round things above the doors lighted up as they ascended. She felt the hairs on the back of her head prickle again. The strong magic she first felt downstairs was getting stronger. Maegella looked up.

The doors opened with a _ping_ and they got off the elevator. They stepped into a large space with long beige couches and a long rectangular glass table in the middle. There were only two women sitting on the couches facing away from the elevators, their heads touching as they sat side-by-side.

"Why are you looking at the ceiling?" Stan asked Maegella, yawning.

"It is coming from up there," replied Maegella. She looked at everyone. "Do you not feel it?"

"Wh-what should we be feeling?" asked Wendy, who rubbed her eyes. "Man, I feel sleepy."

"Me too," agreed Soos. He stretched his arms wide and yawned.

"Guess I'm finally feeling the three hours of sleep now," murmured Ben, covering his yawn with the back of his fist.

Maegella stared at Ben, then looked closely at the rest of the party: they were all droopy-eyed and tired-looking. She did not feel tired; in reality, she felt more energetic right now than yesterday after she passed through the barrier.

The niggling suspicion she had when she approached the hospital started to become cohesive thought.

Maegella looked at the two women on the couch. She strode quickly around the couch to look at them; they were fast asleep. In her mind's eye, she saw Dipper open his glowing eyes just as his mother slumped sideways on her seat…

 _THUMP._

Ben Pines had collapsed onto the floor, snoring.

She had to act quickly; Maegella pointed her staff (disguised as an umbrella) towards Ford and yelled, " _Vara tel' Seldarine!_ "

Ford—who started teetering where he stood—suddenly jerked into wakefulness as the Protection spell hit him.

"What the _hell_?!" he yelled, shaking his head.

"Stanford, help me before they hit the floor like your nephew!" cried Maegella, pointing the umbrella at Mabel. " _Vara tel' Seldarine!_ "

"GAH!" gasped Mabel, her lithe frame tensing as the spell abruptly halted the drowsiness that took hold of her. She looked around her and spotted her father dozing on the floor. "DAD!" she cried, rushing to his side.

Ford grabbed Stan just as his twin started swaying on his feet. Stan and Wendy were the next to be hit with the spell, but Soos had crumpled to the floor with a louder _THUMP_.

"Soos!" cried Wendy and Stan in unison.

"Ben is out cold as well," Ford reported next to Mabel, who was shaking her father's shoulder, trying to wake him up. Ford placed a consoling hand on Mabel's shoulder while with the other he waved to Stan. "Let's move Ben and Soos to the couch."

As the brothers went to work moving the two sleeping men (with Mabel supervising), Wendy approached Maegella and asked, "Can you use the powder thing that worked on Chutzpar?"

"We can try," said Maegella, retrieving the crystal flask with the reddish-orange powder. She saw that Ben had been moved to another couch on the other end of the room, but Stan and Ford were struggling with moving the heavier Soos. "Stanley, Stanford, allow me."

She pointed her umbrella at Soos and murmured something; Stan and Ford jumped back as Soos levitated and floated away to another couch near Ben.

As Soos was carefully placed on the couch, Wendy looked at Maegella and said, "You're not losing steam anymore."

"What do you mean, Wendy?" asked Maegella, lowering her umbrella and looking at the teenager.

They started walking towards the two couches. "Back at Gravity Falls, you seem to lose steam—er—power after casting a spell. But today, you cast a ton of spells without breaking a sweat. What changed?"

In front of Ben, Maegella had unstoppered the crystal flask and shook some powder on the palm of her hand. She stared at the powder before replying, "I suspect it was the Sigil. Remember when we found him with the Searching Spell and he opened his eyes? He—it—well, _something_ happened that made Dipper and Mabel's mother lose consciousness. It seems to have spread from where Dipper was and affected everyone from the floor above to here."

"Including the elevators; nothing can go down or up to the sixth floor," added Ford. "A powerful magical interference. You felt it all the way downstairs, but we couldn't…"

"Until we ascended close enough that you could," interjected Maegella. "We reacted differently to the magic: I have become very alert while the rest of you became very drowsy. Well, let us see if the wakefulness powder will work under the circumstances."

Maegella blew the powder into Ben's face and stepped back. He sneezed, then snorted and went right back to sleep.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Stan asked from behind them.

Wendy shook her head. "She used that stuff to wake up a _Manotaur_ , Stan. I saw it! He should be waking up by now."

Maegella looked worriedly at Ben. "The magic may be too potent for the wakefulness powder to work," she said. Then she pointed her umbrella to Ben and said, " _'Kshonna, wanya._ "

Nothing happened; Ben still slept fitfully in their presence. As she lowered her umbrella, Maegella felt someone tugging at her coat. She looked beside her to see Mabel looking up at her with a worried expression.

"Are Dad and Soos gonna be okay?" asked the young girl in a small voice.

Maegella looked at Mabel and tucked a stray hair behind the girl's ear. "They are in a fitful sleep, Mabel, nothing more," Maegella explained in a gentle voice. "They will be safe here for now. I believe that when we can contain the Sigil's power, everyone affected by its magic will wake up without negative consequences…"

" _Contain it_ , Maegella?" Ford asked tersely, making everyone look at him in surprise. "Shouldn't we get that thing off my nephew? Don't you know how to remove it from him?!"

Maegella stiffened.

"Grunkle Ford," said Mabel reproachfully. She took Maegella's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Stanford," Stan said in a warning tone, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Easy there…"

Stanley Pines could not believe he's the calmer, more reasonable twin right now. Even though he shares Ford's concern, he learned another lifetime ago that violent reactions could lead to serious consequences. He remembered that, at least. Stan looked at his brother; Ford looked positively stricken by what he just said. Maegella breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, looking away from Ford to Ben's sleeping form.

"Maegella, I'm so—"

"Stanford, even if I had the Containing Stone of the Pendulum, I am neither qualified nor powerful enough to make the transfer," Maegella interrupted him in an emotionless tone, looking resolutely at a spot over Ben's head. "You are right, in that regard. I need to be a qualified Maester in order to achieve it. And as we do not know what happened to Maester Gelvin, the only other recourse I can think of is to—to bring Dipper to Rothezar and show him to the Maesters." She sighed. "I do apologize for being such a poor representative."

Everyone winced. Ford looked down at his boots.

Maegella then tapped her umbrella on the floor. Mabel gasped as the blue pea coat suddenly turned into a flowing blue cloak and the umbrella changed into a blue wooden staff.

"Let us proceed," said Maegella. "The protection spell I set upon you will only last for an hour. We must make the time count."

She walked past Ford without looking at him, heading straight for the stairwell beside the elevators. Wendy and Mabel followed close behind her. Before Ford could move to follow them, he felt a large palm smack the back of his head.

"Ow! Stan, what was that for?!" Ford grumbled, massaging his head.

"Nice going, ya knucklehead," Stan muttered. "Asking her if she doesn't know what she's doing, real smart…"

"I was going to apologize to her," Ford groused, looking around. Maegella, Mabel and Wendy have already gone up the stairs. "Ah, jeez…"

"Look, I get it Ford: you're worried about Dipper," said Stan. He placed an arm around his twin and together they started walking towards the stairwell. "I'm worried about him, too. But even though I don't have your smarts, I know better than questioning the lady if she knows what she's doing or not, and from what I'm hearing, she knows things. And ya noticed she still went upstairs to help Dipper, even after you insulted her. Now there's a real classy lady! Also, you should be worried that _I'm_ telling _you_ about manners."

Ford let out a silent snort, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "When did you become so wise, Stanley?" he asked.

"Eh, you know me. I'm a man of hidden talents," Stan replied, sucking in his gut and puffing up his chest. "Now, here's what you need to do…"

But what Ford needed to do was lost when a brilliant flash of light erupted in front of them just a short distance away from the stairs. The twins let out a cry of surprise; they let go of each other to rub their eyes, blinded by the flash.

A high, nasal voice shouted, " _Rina gorga!_ "

"Stanley!"

Stan blinked furiously. His eyesight was slowly returning, but a chill went up his spine. Something has gone horribly wrong…

" _Stanley! Stanley!_ "

"Ford?" croaked Stan. He looked up; amidst the bright dots in his field of vision, he saw his brother levitating and being pulled away from him through the corridor by an invisible force. Ford was terrified, wildly waving his arms and legs, desperately trying to get away from the spot that was sucking him in: a large, metallic inverted triangle with a glowing circle in the middle.

"No, it can't be! Stanford, no!"

" _Stanley! Stanley, help me!_ " Ford screamed.

Stan started to run. A large hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. Stan came swinging, but upon seeing who had stopped him, his blood ran cold.

Filbrick Pines stood before him, partially framed by the bright dots in his vision.

Stan gasped. "Dad? No, no it can't be…"

" _You ignoramus_ ," Filbrick snarled, advancing on his son. " _Look what you've done! You didn't just cost our family millions, you also killed your own BROTHER!"_

"No, no…"

" _Stanley! Stanley, do something!"_ cried Ford in the background.

" _You useless sack of shit!_ " Filbrick roared. " _You killed our only ticket out of this dump!_ "

"SHUT UP, YOU ASSHOLE!" Stan roared back, letting fly a left hook and feeling it land solidly on Filbrick's hateful face. His father lost his balance and landed on his back, groaning. "I got my brother back once, and I can get him back again!"

He turned around and ran towards the corridor where his brother was being sucked in by the Portal. He hoped he was not too late this time…

 **XXXXX**

Stanford was lying dazedly on the floor. Stan had a really mean left hook; Ford wondered if his jaw had cracked from the impact. Judging from his hollering, Stan seemed to think that _he_ was their long-deceased father when Ford tried to stop him from running down the corridor.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Ford snarled at the man in the black cloak. "What have you done to my brother?!"

The man stepped forward, pointing his staff at Ford's face. His hatchet-shaped face was not improved by the manic grin of triumph.

"I only made him remember fear," answered Worgel.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** I feel bad about the stuff I wrote in this chapter, but there will be time to remedy that in the next chapters. Ford has also returned to his Badass in Distress roots.


	14. Voice of Reason

_A few moments earlier, Renzetti Permanente Hospital – February 18_

"Grunkle Ford didn't mean it."

Maegella paused to look behind her. Her two younger companions stopped climbing as well. Mabel looked up at Maegella with wide eyes.

"I mean," the young girl continued, pulling on some of her long brown hair. "Grunkle Ford can be too blunt, just not as bad as Grunkle Stan. But…he's worried about my brother. And he sounded like he was going to apologize. He's not bad-bad, he's just bad at talking."

"I do understand, Mabel," Maegella said quietly, turning around to continue upwards.

This simple answer didn't seem to suffice for Mabel. "Well, will you give him a chance when you could?" asked Mabel hopefully. "I mean, it's kind of a big deal if he's able to apologize the same day he put his foot in his mou—AAAH, what the heck?!"

Mabel's exclamation was caused by a brilliant flash of white light that came from the floor below them. They covered their eyes from the glare.

"I'm blind!" cried Mabel.

"What is that?" asked Wendy, rubbing her eyes.

"Shhh!" hissed Maegella. She was the first to recover as she had reached the landing before the flash, not seeing too much of it. The mage went down, grabbed Wendy and Mabel's arms and pulled them up the stairs. She pushed them to one corner of the landing and whispered, "Stay here! I will see what has happened."

From the floor below, they could hear someone yelling. Mabel blinked and whispered, "Grunkle Stan?"

Wendy seized Mabel's shoulders and whispered, "Stay put, Mabel!"

Maegella rummaged into her knapsack and pulled out three dark-colored glass balls; each of them were slightly larger than a billiard ball. Maegella handed them to Wendy. "If I give warning or if I do not come back immediately, you must go and get Dipper and find your way out of this building to safety! Take these. Smash one on the floor in front of the enemy when you encounter trouble, to give you time to get away. Take care of each other!"

"Maegella!" Wendy hissed.

But Maegella had already sped down the stairs. She stopped at the landing right before the fifth floor. She carefully peeked around the bend, holding her staff up in readiness.

Worgel was below, standing near the entrance of the stairwell with his back to her. She could not see the Pines brothers beyond the doorway. Then…

"Stan, snap out of it!" Maegella identified the voice as Stanford's.

"Dad? No, no it can't be…" said Stan. He sounded horrified.

"No! It's me, Stanley! It's Stanford, your brother!"

"No, no…"

"You have to snap out of it!"

"SHUT UP, YOU ASSHOLE!" Stan screamed; Maegella had to stifle her gasp. Then there was a sickening crunch and a cry of pain, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. "I got my brother back once, and I can get him back again!"

"Oh no…" Maegella groaned inwardly as Stan ran away. There was one spell that could have that effect on Stanley. It was never used in peacetime; it was one that forced the victim to relive or recall the most frightening thing in their life: an event, a creature, a person. _Anything._ Stan's reaction to the spell made her feel ill. Was he so afraid of his father? What kind of man was he, to inspire such a reaction?

Worgel stepped away from the doorway back to the large room. Maegella took this opportunity to carefully go down the steps. One hand held the staff at shoulder height; the other hand was holding a glass ball that she had tucked away into her cloak after she fished out the other three for Wendy and Mabel.

From beyond the room, she heard Ford snarl, "What the hell did you do to him? What have you done to my brother?!"

"I only made him remember fear," answered Worgel. His voice oozed with smugness, making Maegella's blood boil.

 _A mage of the Blue Guild is calm in every circumstance…_

She reached the doorway. She could see the short man standing in front of Ford, pointing the blackened staff at the other. "You will lead me to the Sigil, old man, or your brother will forever be haunted by all he fears most. I hope his heart is up to the horrors."

"He will have help!" Maegella said coldly.

As Worgel whirled around, she threw the glass ball at his feet. A cloud of dark purple smoke erupted from the floor and formed a cocoon around him. Worgel started spluttering and coughing as he tried to wave away the tenacious cloud.

Maegella then pointed her staff at Ford and yelled, " _Tula sinome!_ "

Ford suddenly levitated behind Worgel and zoomed towards Maegella, knocking the black-robed mage off his feet. However, possibly due to the strong magical energy around the area, Ford was flying too fast towards the mage that cast the Summoning spell.

Maegella shrieked as Ford (who was yelling) collided with her at the doorway. The force of the collision sent Maegella tumbling backwards and skidding to the stairs. Fortunately, she didn't hit her head on the first step, but she felt her bottom becoming sore and breathing became a bit difficult due to Ford's weight. She moaned at the discomfort, then realized that Ford was lying on top of her in a rather compromising position: his face was on her chest and her left leg was between _his_ legs.

 _Very_ compromising.

"Uh, Stanford," she groaned, trying to push Ford off her. "You are quite heavy…"

Ford stiffened; with his hands on Maegella's sides, he pushed himself up and looked down at her. It took a second for him to realize he was looking at her torso before he scrambled off her, turning red in the face.

"I am so, so sorry!" Ford yelped, holding out a hand to her. Maegella took it without thinking and pulled herself up. "I also want to apologize for what I insinuated earlier. It was a low blow, you didn't deserve that…"

He stopped when she placed a hand on his arm. "Worry no more, Stanford. I understand," she said without smiling. She turned to look out of the doorway at Worgel, who was now rolling around on the floor in an effort to get rid of the purple smoke. "He will get rid of that smoke soon, and we need to get to Dipper quickly before the protection I cast on all of you wears off."

Before Ford could reply, Wendy called out, "What happened?"

Maegella and Ford looked around; Wendy and Mabel were peeking at them from the stairs. Ford noticed that Wendy was holding a large glass ball while his great-niece was wielding a military-grade grappling hook like a trained soldier. _She must have stuffed it under her sweater_ , thought Ford.

"What's going on?" asked Mabel in a fierce voice. "Where's Grunkle Stan? Who do I need to GRAPPLE HOOK?! I don't care if that's not correct, but I KNOW how to use this!"

"What she said," said Wendy grimly, holding up the glass ball threateningly.

"Worgel is here," Maegella explained. "He cast a spell on Stanley, making him see terrible things." She turned to Ford. "We need to split up; I will accompany Wendy and Mabel upstairs and help Dipper. You must find your brother and break his enchantment."

"How do I do that?" asked Ford. "If Stan sees me, he's going to see our father and clobber my face."

"Normally, I would chase after him and cast the counter spell, but we don't have the time," Maegella gritted out. "But there are non-magical ways to snap him out of it. You need to shock it out of him."

"What!?"

"You know: slap him or splash him with cold water!" said Maegella.

"Oh!" said Ford, a bit flustered. He adjusted his glasses on his face. "Right. We split up on the count of three: one, two…"

"THREE!" shouted Mabel.

 **XXXXX**

Stan was running towards his brother. Ford was a few feet away from the active Portal now.

 _Not again_ , Stan thought. _I just got him back! Not again…_

" _Stanley, do something! Stanleeeeey!_ " screamed Ford.

 **But you did get him back** , said a small voice.

"What?" said Stan. He slowed down to a jog. "Who said that?"

" _Stanley! Stanley! Don't just stand there, DO SOMETHING!_ "

 **The Portal cannot fit here** , said the voice. **Your brother destroyed it after you brought him back last summer, remember?**

Stan stopped moving and blinked. "That's…that's right…"

Then he realized that Ford and the Portal disappeared. He was standing in one corridor of a hospital. Ford, Maegella, Wendy and Mabel were nowhere in sight.

"What the heck?" said Stan, scratching his head. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He could still see bright dots, for some reason. _My eyes must really be going bad_ , he thought.

 **You could try consulting with a professional about that** , suggested the voice.

Before Stan could start questioning his conscience or his sanity, high nasal laughter started to ring in his ears. When the screams followed, his blood ran cold.

 **XXXXX**

At the sixth floor, Mabel and Wendy gasped.

"This is creepy," observed Wendy, looking nervously at the nurses dozing off at their station. Scattered around the corridor were several people lying down on the ground, hospital employees and visitors alike. If they hadn't heard the different variations of snores around the area, Wendy would have thought they were…not alive.

"We can help them by helping Dipper," said Maegella after giving them a cursory look. "Mabel, where is your brother's room?"

Mabel pointed to her left. "It's this way!" she said, starting to run. Wendy and Maegella quickly followed the girl. They turned right at a corner and approached a door a few meters away with the number "618" on it.

"Here it is!" said Mabel, opening the door and rushing inside. "Holy moly!"

Wendy and Maegella rushed in after Mabel and stared.

Dipper was lying on his bed, seemingly fast asleep. This in itself would not be alarming, except that the "birth mark" on his forehead was glowing, and several pieces of furniture and assorted things were floating inside the room, with the exception of one chair and an ottoman. Lying on these pieces of furniture, with a fashion magazine on her lap, was a dark-haired woman.

"Mom!" cried Mabel, rushing towards the woman. Mabel shook her mother's shoulder; her mother did not respond. Sarah Pines let out a snort before resuming her slumber.

Mabel felt a warm hand touch her shoulder. She looked up at Maegella, who looked back at her sympathetically. "She is all right, dear," said Maegella. "But the sooner we help Dipper, the sooner we can wake her up."

Maegella then straightened up and looked at Wendy. "I will start casting the necessary spells, Wendy. Can you keep an eye out for Worgel?"

"Will do, Maegella," said Wendy.

Mabel wiped the tears from her face and raised her grappling hook. "I'm ready."

 **XXXXX**

" _AHAHAHAHAHA!_ "

"No, no, no!" cried Stan, running towards the source of that horrible laughter. A skinny but enormous black arm started to disappear around a corner, holding in its hand two squirming and frightened children.

" _Grunkle Stan, help us!_ " cried Mabel, slamming small fists onto the hand.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

" _Hurry Grunkle Stan!_ " yelled Dipper as he tried to push himself up from the powerful grip of the black hand.

"I'm coming, kids! I'm coming!"

" _Hurry up, Stanley! I think I've decided which one of them to KILL,_ " said Bill Cipher with glee.

"No, damn you!" howled Stan. "I'm gonna pummel you to dust!"

 **He is not real, Stanley Pines.**

"Shut it, you! Can't you see he's back!? He's got the kids! I have to save them!"

 **You have defeated him** , said the small voice, a little more firmly. **At the cost of your own SELF.**

"But…the kids…"

Stan slowed down as a figment of a memory began to play in his mind… _he was standing in the middle of the blue flames licking at the walls of his living room. What was once a giant yellow triangle with one big eye turned into a red-and-black monstrosity, screaming his name before he smashed his fist into it, shattering the creature into nothing._

"I…I did that?" he asked in wonder. For the second time, he stopped running through the corridor. The children, their screams and the horrible laughter started to fade…

"It wasn't them," said Stan, running a hand down his face. "He's not here…it's not real…"

" _There you are!_ "

Stan turned around. He growled when he saw Filbrick bearing down on him.

" _You piece of_ …Stanley!... _just nothing but a good-for-nothing_ …snap out of it!"

Stan blinked. Between Filbrick's rantings, he thought he could hear Ford's voice.

"What? What's going on?" Stan asked, walking away from his father. The next thing he knew, Filbrick had reached him and punched him. Hard.

"Ow!" yelled Stan, staggering from the force of the punch. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Did it work?" asked a familiar voice. A pair of six-fingered hands grabbed Stan's shoulders. "It's me, Stanley! It's Stanford!"

"Ford?" Stan looked back; Ford stood before him, looking at him with wide, worried eyes. On one side of his jaw was the beginnings of a bruise. "Jeez, what happened to you, Sixer?"

"Your fist happened, that's what," replied Ford, rubbing the bruise on his jaw. "Right after that short wizard hit you with a spell that made you see things. You thought I was Dad and socked me right here."

Stan winced. "Is that why you punched me?"

Ford took a moment before replying, "Yes. Maegella told me how to get you off the spell before she went upstairs to take care of Dipper. We had to split up while the Protection spell still works. Come on, let's go!"

 **Find me.**

Stan whirled around. "What?"

 **Hurry.**

"What?" echoed Ford, confused. "Are you still hearing things, Stan?"

 **They are in danger. Find me.**

"Really?" asked Stan. Then, to Ford: "Yeah, I am, but this one's different from what I saw. I mean, the spots are gone now...put your hand down, Pointdexter!"

Ford put his fist down. "Sorry."

 **Turn left.**

"Uh, okay," said Stan. He turned around and started jogging.

Ford followed him. "Stan, where the heck are you going? We need to get back upstairs before Worgel gets to them!"

 **Open the third door on your right.**

"Trust me on this, Ford," said Stan, wheezing a bit from all the running. "That voice helped me shake off the delusions. Might as well see this through."

"Stanley!"

Stan ignored his brother; after turning right, he started counting the doors on his right. At the third door, he walked towards it and turned the knob. Ford reached him, but he did not move to stop his brother from opening the door.

It was a small room. Strangely enough, the walls of this room look dated with light green curtains and light yellow walls in comparison to the pristine white and blue corridor outside. On the single bed inside the room was a patient, fast asleep.

Stan walked in and peered at the figure on the bed; it was an old man with a strangely familiar beaky nose. His white hair had a limp curl to it and was overly long, spilling over the bed. His beard was white and long as well, long enough to cover his upper torso.

"Does anyone come in here to clean?" asked Ford. He had wiped a finger along a table top and examined the amount of dust on it.

"I know this guy," said Stan. Ford looked up and saw Stan standing close to the patient's bedside, looking over his shoulder at him. "It's—it's the doctor guy I met, the one I just remembered on the way here!"

"Are you sure?" asked Ford, moving forward to stand next to Stan. "And he's a patient here?!"

"I guess so," said Stan, puzzled. He looked back at the sleeping man. "Look! He even has his cane next to him!" he exclaimed in a voice that was not suited to a hospital room, pointing at a gray cane on the man's left side; it was partially obscured by the beard. Stan scratched his head. "Guess he finally got that break."

Ford looked around the patient. "He's not attached to an IV or any life support machines," he murmured. "Ugh, we don't have time for this! Stan, will you cut that out?"

He caught Stan prodding the patient's arm with a finger. "Thought it might wake him up," said Stan, drawing his hand back quickly.

"You couldn't have been a bit gentler about it, could you?" said a quiet voice.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Stan jumped back and nearly collided with Ford. Both men had yelled in surprise not because a new voice had spoken, but because it came from the old man on the bed.

"HE'S ALIVE!" yelled Stan. He reflexively grabbed a nearby chair and raised it over his head, preparing to brain the patient with it.

"Stan, put that down!" cried Ford, reaching out to stop his brother from clobbering an old man. "He just woke up and you're going to put him back into a coma?!"

"Right, right," wheezed Stan, putting the chair back down. "Sorry—thought it was another zombie thing. Crazy day…"

"Now, now, Stanley Pines," said the old man. The Pines brothers stopped arguing to look back at the patient, who was now sitting up. The old man's dark eyes were crinkled into a smile as he picked up his cane and leaned a little to the left to tap it on the floor.

The brothers' jaws dropped as they witnessed the transformation in front of them. When it was complete, the old man hopped off the bed. The flimsy hospital gown was replaced with dark gray robes; his cane turned into a long, light gray staff. The beaky nose became hooked, the limp white curls became straight, the beard was trimmed to crop closely to a long face, and twinkling blue eyes surveyed the shocked expressions on the faces of the Pines brothers.

"I did say I will see you when I see you, Mr. Pines," he said, grinning at Stan. He raised his staff and continued, "Greetings! I am Maester Gelvin."

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** How will Stan react in the next chapter? Will they reach room 618 in time? Is Stan going to be merciful when he interrogates Ford? Let's find out!


	15. The Maester

_Fifth floor, Renzetti Permanente Hospital – February 18_

When neither Stan nor Ford replied to his greeting, Maester Gelvin shrugged and did a bit of stretching in front of them. The small room was filled with the sounds of popping and cracking joints and Gelvin's sighs of relief.

"Contact was made," the Maester muttered, frowning as he twisted around and produced some satisfying pops. He shook his head and said in a louder, friendlier voice, "It is nice to see you again, Stanley Pines. And we finally meet face-to-face, Stanford Pines! Maegella has told me much about you when you came to Rothezar twenty years ago."

"She told you about me during your civil war?" Ford said curiously. Stan just gaped at Gelvin and did not respond to the Maester's greeting. He was still processing the fact that the _older_ man in front of them seem to act like he just woke up from a short nap and not a coma of thirteen years.

"A bit longer before that; she sought out my counsel when you came to Rothezar twenty years ago," replied Gelvin. He strode to open the door and beckoned the Pines brothers to follow him. "Let us go; they need our help."

"Twenty years ago?!" Ford echoed in surprise as he and Stan followed.

Gelvin nodded as he turned right and walked briskly towards a stairwell near this side of the corridor. He seemed to know the layout of the floor. Ford could bet his brain that the Maester was also familiar with the layout of the hospital.

"Yes; Maegella sought me out after she learned of your history with the Cipher," said the Maester. There was no judgement in his tone. "She asked for my advice about you, and whether she was right in believing that you are who you claimed you were."

Ford frowned. "She told us that…"

"That she never told anyone and she went to reflect by the river for two days?" supplied Gelvin, looking back at Ford with a small smile.

"Yes," said Ford. He looked at the Maester suspiciously. "Did you see that while you were comatose?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes," replied Gelvin airily. They started trudging up the stairs to the sixth floor. "She did not completely lie. Firstly, she thought you meant reporting to the _Blue Guild's_ Maesters, which she did not. Secondly, she did reflect by the river, for that was where she asked to meet me." Gelvin huffed in amusement. "She probably did not tell you because I am not even supposed to be anywhere outside the Gray Guild!"

"Why not?" asked Stan.

"Because our order is supposed to be sheltered from the outside world, to keep our visions 'pure'," They heard a loud snort. "I thought it was a load of _lobros_ droppings and went outside the Guild after fifty years in seclusion."

"Wow, what a rebel," Stan commented dryly.

Gelvin did not respond to Stan's jibe. He was muttering again, "I hope Worgel will not use _that_ ; it will be difficult to get Wendy out of it and he will not like what will happen next…"

"What about Wendy?" Stan inquired suspiciously.

"Oh! Begging your pardon, Stanley," said Gelvin, turning at the next landing. "I get some flashes of possible futures. Telling the future is _never_ straightforward, as others might think. We see flashes of certain events; small things that have great effect to the outcome. For instance, Stanley, if you had not made that bet with your niece Mabel about who will run your business better, Mabel would have pressed the button and stopped the Portal from opening fully, leaving Stanford stranded on the other side."

Stan stopped dead in his tracks. "WHAT?!"

Ford leaned back and pulled his brother forward. "That sounds a lot like the butterfly effect," murmured Ford.

"If you like," said Gelvin. "I call it complicated."

Stan started moving. "Is that why you decided to put that _thing_ on Dipper's forehead when he was a baby?" he growled.

Gelvin paused right before the doorway to the sixth floor to look back at Stan. "Stanley, the alternative is not something I would wish on him or your world," he said quietly.

The statement made Stan and Ford look at each other, seeing the unease that it stirred in each other.

And then two things happened: Gelvin stiffened and said, "Oh, no…he used it!" right before they heard someone cry out in alarm before being abruptly muffled.

Stan paled, recognizing that voice. "WENDY!"

All three men started moving, with Gelvin leading the way. He turned left and started running, holding his gray staff in both hands. Ford and Stan had to sprint to keep up with the Maester. They were immediately aware of zapping sounds a short distance away.

"I know this—guy is—older than—us," Stan huffed. "But—jeez!"

"I know; he's making us look bad!" grumbled Ford. In hindsight, they probably should have installed a treadmill in the _Stan O'War II_ …

They turned a corner and gasped. Among the unconscious people littering the corridor was a body wrapped from head to toe in shiny black bandages. Gelvin was crouching near the squirming body and waved his staff over it, murmuring something. As the Pines brothers approached, they heard a tearing sound and someone desperately breathing lungfuls of air.

"GAW! That was horrible!" gasped Wendy. When she saw Stan and Ford reaching out to tear the rest of the bandages away, she cried, "Don't! You go on ahead and get to Dipper's room! That creepy dude is going after them!"

"She is right," Gelvin declared. "But we will not leave you here, child. _Runa!_ "

At the last word, a partially-bandaged Wendy levitated from the ground. Gelvin started to run again, pulling Wendy behind him like a bizarre, red-haired balloon. Stan and Ford quickly followed. They could now hear the voices beyond more clearly.

 _ZAP!_

"Mabel, get back inside!" cried Maegella.

"But I can help!" yelled Mabel.

 _ZOW!_ A blue bolt of light zipped past the corridor.

"Oh my God," whispered Ford.

"Oh no…MABEL!" yelled Stan.

 _ZAP!_

"Augh!" They heard a clatter of wood on linoleum. "STAY INSIDE MABEL!"

"Look out! GRAPPLING HOOK!"

They heard a loud POP, followed by a yowl of pain coming from the right. A large hook attached to a black line whizzed past the corridor a few feet away from them, dropping to the floor when there was nothing to latch onto.

"Wretched child!" Worgel bawled. "I will _obliterate_ you!"

"NO!" cried Stan and Ford in unison. They ran past Gelvin and turned the corner; a few doors away, they saw the edge of a black cloak disappear into one. They kept on running, terror giving them a rush of adrenalin.

" _Pelekta yassen runya!_ " Worgel roared. There was a fiery glow and a ROAR emanated from the room.

Stan and Ford reached the room. The following moments seemed to have slowed down before their eyes:

A disheveled Worgel in the middle of the room, thrusting his staff forward, where a large jet of fire seemed to sprout from the end, aiming it at the bed. Beside the bed, Maegella (bereft of her staff) stepped in front of Mabel and her unconscious mother, arms open wide, ready to take the fatal blow…

 **NO!**

For the second time today, there was another flash of blinding light. The floor trembled; Stan and Ford grabbed the sides of the door to hold themselves steady. Someone screamed before the light receded to tolerable levels.

"Oh my..."

Stan and Ford opened their eyes at the sound of Gelvin's voice. He stood behind the Pines brothers with Wendy in tow, staring inside the room.

"I have seen this as a possibility," he breathed. "But seeing it in person is something else."

Ford's jaw dropped as looked in the room. "What the…?"

" _Dipper?_ " said Mabel and Stan in unison.

 **YES AND NO** , came the otherworldly reply.

Floating in the middle of the room was Dipper, his thin hospital gown rippling in the still air (he wore a pair of shorts underneath the gown). Under his short but flowing hair, his birthmark and eyes glowed eerily white, somehow giving his youthful visage a ferocious mien. The furniture that was floating around the room earlier had dropped to the floor. They saw his mouth move when he spoke, but the voice that issued from it was deep and strangely haunting. Beside the bed, Maegella clutched at her side before she dropped to her knees. Mabel rushed to Maegella's side and hugged her before turning to look up at her twin brother.

"Wow…you look _intense_ , Dipper," whispered Mabel.

 **THANK YOU, MABEL** , replied Dipper.

"Oh, I hope you're not keeping that voice, bro-bro," Mabel whispered, cringing.

Dipper looked at a point where Worgel used to be and scowled, making him look even more alarming. **DO NOT THINK ABOUT ESCAPING, YOU SCUM** , he growled in that chilling voice. **YOU TRIED TO HURT OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY! YOU ATTEMPTED TO KILL** ** _OUR SISTER_** **!**

Ford looked away from Maegella to scrutinize his great-nephew. _Our…?_

Dipper pointed at something on the ground. Everyone turned and spotted a large green bullfrog sitting next to a black staff. Before it could hop away, it started floating. It floated up until it was directly in front of Dipper.

Dipper raised his hands in a way that made him look like he was going to pop an invisible balloon…

"Please, spare him!"

Dipper stopped. He swiveled to look at Maegella, who looked up at him imploringly.

 **WHY?** Dipper asked, a trace of a growl in his haunting voice. **HE HAS DONE HARM. HE WAS GOING TO HURT** ** _MABEL_** **.**

"Woah…easy there, kid," said Stan worriedly from the doorway.

"Please, do not…eliminate Worgel," pleaded Maegella. She placed a hand on Mabel's shoulder to steady herself. "Whoever or whatever you are, do not pass such a sentence while you possess Dipper's form. He is too young! An action by his hand will be devastating to him!"

"She's right," said Ford, stepping inside the room. Dipper turned to stare at his Grunkle. "Maegella is right. Dipper will never forgive himself if he finds out."

Dipper looked down at his hands. He—or something else—seem to be mulling it over.

"Let me bring Worgel back to Rothezar to face judgement for his actions," said Maegella softly. Ford noticed that she seemed to be fighting to stay awake.

"Please, Dipper," implored Mabel. "If you're in there, you gotta listen to Maegella and Grunkle Ford!"

Dipper looked at Mabel. The fierce expression on his face seemed to have softened when Mabel spoke. He dropped his hands to his sides, though Worgel the bullfrog was still hovering in the air, croaking feebly.

"May I?" said Maester Gelvin, taking a few steps into the room. While Dipper was being reasoned with, Gelvin had set Wendy to the floor and provided Stan with a pair of silver scissors with which to cut through the black bandages. After Dipper nodded, the Maester pointed his staff at the bullfrog; a large glass jar appeared in mid-air and enclosed the creature inside, topped off with a metal lid with breathing holes. Gelvin then set the jar on the floor.

"Maegella, where is your knapsack, child?" asked Gelvin gravely, turning to Maegella. "We need to see to your injury."

"It is over there," Maegella replied softly. She started to sway to the side, with Mabel straining to holding her up. Ford reached her in two strides and dropped to the floor beside her. He relieved her from Mabel's grasp, lifted Maegella's cloak and flinched; her right hand and left side were soaked with blood.

Mabel squeaked in horror and covered her eyes. "Oh no! Maegella!"

"Do not fret, Mabel," said Gelvin. "We will set her to rights…"

 **YES** , said Dipper. He started to descend, aiming for a spot in front of Maegella. **IT IS THE LEAST WE CAN DO, AFTER YOU PROTECTED OUR SISTER**.

By the doorframe, Stan and Wendy looked at each other.

" _We_?" mouthed Wendy.

" _Our_?" whispered Stan at the same time.

"Yeah! Possessed Dipper's gonna help Maegella!" cheered Mabel.

Gelvin gave a start. "Wait, you do not have to…"

Ford moved to sit next to Maegella and support her, taking her free hand under the cloak, as Dipper landed in front of the injured mage. The boy leaned forward and placed his hand over the hand that covered the injury.

 **HOLD STILL** , he said, closing his glowing eyes.

Ford felt Maegella stiffen in his arms. She closed her eyes and let out a sharp gasp while she squeezed his hand.

 **IT IS DONE**.

Maegella opened her eyes and looked down; she raised her hand. What had been a terrible combination of a gaping wound and burn was now whole, healthy skin underneath a sizeable hole through her stained vest and shirt.

"Thank you," she said in a shaky voice. She looked up at Dipper, smiling. This changed to immediate shock as she saw the boy close his eyes and pitch forward. She and Ford moved together to catch Dipper in their arms.

"Dipper!" cried Mabel. By the door, Stan and Wendy scrambled inside to see what had happened. Wendy was holding Maegella's staff in her hands.

"What happened?" Stan yelled. "What happened to Dipper?"

Maegella and Ford carefully turned Dipper around so that he was facing up. His eyes were closed tight, his forehead still glowed, and he was whimpering. He seemed to be in pain.

"Dipper," Ford whispered, touching his nephew's face. He recoiled from the heat. "What in blazes?!"

"He's too warm," murmured Maegella, placing a hand on his face and neck. She looked up at Maester Gelvin, who stood before them. "He burns with a dangerous fever!"

"That is not fever," the Maester said gravely. "Dipper tapped into the power of the Sigil when his sister Mabel was threatened. A most noble act. However, there is only so much magic that he can attempt to channel. His body cannot handle so much magic."

"But, we CAN do magic!" Mabel said loudly. "My brother once raised an army of the dead back in Gravity Falls with Grunkle Ford's journal! We also got into Grunkle Stan's mind by casting a spell to find Bill…"

"Wait, really?" Stan butted in, looking bewildered.

"…and I once took this magic thingy off Gideon's tie thing and stopped him and Dipper from falling off a cliff!" concluded Mabel. "We CAN do magic!"

Gelvin shook his head and gave the young girl a small smile. "You can do _this_ dimension's magic, Mabel," he said patiently. "Your people have a propensity for magic if they try. However, the Sigil was created in Rothezar, emanating a brand of magic that I have learned is very different from your Earth magic. While Dipper can cast magic with the Sigil's power, he is physically not up to it." He looked at Maegella. "We must contain it, for Dipper's sake."

Maegella swallowed. "I have tried earlier, but I—I could not. I was unable to do it," she said weakly. "Would you have the Containing Stone with you?"

"I am afraid it disintegrated after I moved the Sigil to Dipper," Gelvin replied grimly. "But that is a matter we will discuss later," he continued, looking at Ford sternly when the latter was about to interject. "For now, we need to contain it. You have me to help you, Maegella. As it is, your Maester's training is long overdue…"

 **XXXXX**

The first thing Dipper registered was soreness. He was sore all over, head to toes; he hadn't felt this awful since the aftermath of Bill Cipher's possession. He was so sore, he wasn't sure that he could open his eyes. Even his _eyelids_ felt sore.

Then he heard voices, softly resonating around him. They were not coming from the strange dream he had; they were more familiar than the voice that kept him company. He decided to try to talk, even though his throat felt so dry and painful…

"Mabel?" he croaked. "Is that you?"

He winced at the modulated squeal on his right. "Dipper! It's you! You-you is awake!" Mabel stage-whispered. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Mabel, calm down," said the other familiar voice on his left.

"Great Uncle Ford?" Dipper whispered, feeling surprised. He winced again (though wincing was also painful). "Ow, my throat hurts. Everything hurts."

"Here, my boy," said Ford. Dipper felt a large hand gently support the back of his head, raising it carefully. The rim of a cold glass touched his parched (and sore) lips. "Have some water."

Dipper, with eyes still closed, carefully took some sips. He felt relief from the dryness of his lips and mouth and the ache in his throat. The water seem to take the edge off his full-body soreness. He made sounds of satisfaction when he felt that he finished off the contents of the glass. The glass was taken away from him, and he felt the large hand place his head gently back on the pillow

"Can you open your eyes, Dipper?" asked Ford.

"I—I think so," Dipper replied hesitantly. He opened his eyes into slits. When he felt his eyes (and head) adjust to the light in the room, he blinked and opened them further.

On his right was Mabel, eyes wide and holding on the front of her blue sweater with such a tight grip, he wouldn't be surprised if she ripped it. On his left was Great Uncle Ford, who looked down at him with a look of calm relief on his weathered face.

He realized that he was lying down on his bed in his and Mabel's room. His bed, which used to be on the right side, seem to have been moved to sit in the middle of the floor. He did not have time to mull over this, as he noticed that there were other people staring at him from the door. Dipper turned his attention to this group.

Grunkle Stan moved away from the doorway to stand behind Mabel and smile down at him, his expression of relief an exact replica of Ford's. Standing by the doorway were—he had to blink several times to believe it—Wendy and Soos, grinning at him (Soos seemed to be crying in relief). Behind them were two more people he had never seen before in his life: an elderly man wearing gray robes and a woman wearing a dark blue cloak.

Something strange happened when Dipper looked at this woman. Like a remnant from a dream, he felt… pleased that she was here. It didn't make any sense to him.

Dipper stored this observation away to hash it out with Ford when he had the chance. For now, all he felt like saying was, "What's going on?"

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** This…this was a toughie to write, but I'm satisfied with it. Find a noun in caps to uncover this clue:

XDR YNYA ZXII WAA VLA FFZ-JEADGVAQ JCR DNSG KQRPUIZ.  
GEG KNNV OEAFQGV GALYW IBOG, FQG XPWSROU PAFP.


	16. The Maester's Revelations

_Thirteen years ago_

He can rest later, he told himself. Once he accomplished his mission, he will lie down and rest.

The old man leaned against the wall. Gelvin knew—envisioned it, even—that the ancient device that brought him here would work. However, he had to put a lot of concentration and power into it to make the trek from Rothezar to this unfamiliar plane of existence, and the experience had drained him. Accomplished Maesters are formidable in range and power, but the contrivance he discovered in his youth was created by a Founder of Rothezar; every Maester that came after them paled in comparison. No one had been able to explain why this was so.

The other object that Gelvin possessed (aside from his staff) was much older and even more dangerous than the Founders themselves.

Gelvin pressed on; as he approached the room, he looked at his partial reflection on the glass pane. Even in his weakened state, he still had the presence of mind to change his appearance before he entered this building. His looks came from an elderly man walking his dog past the building, and he saw enough of the white-coated healers to be able to replicate their uniform. To complete his charade, the gray staff became a cane.

He discreetly tapped his cane on the door, unlocking it, and entered the nursery. He looked around at the rows of bassinets and smiled. _What peaceful little faces_ , he thought.

The white-dressed people in charge of this room were in the room beyond; they did not hear him enter. He murmured a spell and pointed his cane at the other door, to prevent them from noticing anything else from this room. Next, he pointed his cane at the window, closing the curtains. The door near the window locked on its own.

He squared his shoulders and approached the two bassinets near the back. He knew— _he saw_ —the healers set them side-by-side after realizing that the sister kept on crying when she was set far from her brother. Gelvin thought these healers intuitive, despite their lack of magic.

The Maester looked down at the two bassinets and their occupants; on his right was the sister, wrapped in a white blanket and wearing a pink cloth cap, pink-cheeked and sleeping peacefully. On the left was a larger bassinet with a clear cover that was made from a different kind of glass; strange lights and contraptions were attached to it, keeping tabs on the health of the baby boy within.

He saw two possibilities for this child's future. Today, he was going to choose the best path for everyone involved.

Gelvin reached inside his coat and pulled out the round, flat gray stone from under his arm. It was slightly smaller than a dinner plate and thicker than a man's thumb. Etched on it was a red symbol; to the people of this dimension, they would have identified it as a familiar set of stars in the night sky.

"You will care for each other," he declared softly, placing the Containing Stone of the Pendulum on top of the clear bassinet cover. "You will not be denied the chance to grow up with her. You will grow up together, through thick and thin."

As he raised his arms and recited the incantations, the baby boy fidgeted as the Stone began to glow…

 _Pines Residence, Piedmont CA – 11:30am, February 19_

"…and after I comforted Stanley, I went to a vacant room and enchanted it so that no one would enter it and find me. Only Stanley would have been able to see the door—if he decided to revisit the hospital a few years earlier." Gelvin chuckled as he concluded his tale.

"But instead, you got a thirteen-year nap," Stan snorted. "Some old guys have all the luck…"

After breakfast, they had all managed to squeeze inside the living room. Dipper sat on Ben's comfortable Lie-Me-Down Chair, with Mabel sitting on one side and their Dad leaning on the other side. At the foot of the recliner was Waddles the pig, snorting contentedly. Stan decided to relax on the other Lie-Me-Down facing the first one; Ford opted to stand, leaning against Stan's seat. Soos and Wendy sat on two chairs that they brought in from the kitchen, facing Maester Gelvin and Maegella seated on the couch. Despite her children's coaxing and Ben's reassurances, Sarah Pines elected to witness everything from the sliding doors of the living room, with the excuse that she could get the refreshments faster that way.

While she was out of earshot earlier during breakfast, Ben quietly explained to his children and uncles that Sarah was finally beginning to accept that everything that Mabel wrote to them about their summer adventures were true and not the sugar-laced products of her daughter's imagination. "Give her time to process all of this," Ben suggested kindly.

"Oh, sure: she sees Maegella turn water into hot chocolate and NOW she believes," Mabel huffed.

"Mabel," said Ben, Dipper, and Ford at the same time. Stan just reached out to pat his niece's shoulder.

In the present, Dipper—who was already up to speed with the quest and the events up until yesterday—looked at Maester Gelvin and asked, "Why me? I mean—aside from the whole not feel great stuff when I was a baby—why… _me_?"

Dipper no longer felt sore upon waking up this morning, but he was still quite pale, emphasizing the eye bags under his eyes. Partially hidden under his bangs, the Sigil returned to its previous, non-threatening pinkish color.

"The reasons are twofold," replied Gelvin, who leaned forward. "Firstly, the humans in this dimension would not be able to channel the magic of the Sigil, thus avoiding the abuse of its power. Secondly, as the Sigil was created to _protect_ , it made sense to place it onto you to save you when you were a baby."

"So, putting it on me didn't make me a wizard, but it keeps me alive, gave me a nickname, and I have a lifetime reason to sport bangs," Dipper summarized. "You know, I freaked out this morning when Mabel told me that two days have passed, and I don't even remember what happened! Although—" He turned to smile at Soos, Wendy, and his Grunkles. "—it's GREAT to see you guys again!"

Soos and Wendy reciprocated with big, toothy grins. Stan and Ford smiled.

The Maester, however, frowned. "That is because Duroc found the other four Sigils and used them to locate the Pendulum." Gelvin glanced at Mabel. "The very moment Mabel found you shivering under your blanket. The Sigil became active, rendering you unconscious."

No one questioned how Gelvin knew this. He explained last night that the mages and Maesters of the Gray Guild are capable of seeing the past and the future of a person once they see or touch them, though it was quicker by the latter action. He demonstrated this ability on Ford: Gelvin touched Ford's shoulder and asked him about "the strange little men with pointed hats who attempted to make an offering of you to their Queen". Red-faced, Ford took his hand back amidst Stan's booming laughter and Ben yelling "I KNEW THEY WERE REAL!" and confirmed the accuracy of this vision.

"That was Sunday," said Dipper, looking between his Dad and Mabel. "I remember feeling awful until the next day and then…then I woke up seeing all you guys in my room."

"Mabel was seriously freaked out when she hailed us on the radio yesterday," shared Wendy. "Soos here thought you could turn out the lights by clapping."

"I still believe in you, dood," Soos said solemnly before putting a big chunk of carrot cake into his mouth. "The power of DIPPER!" he cried, raising his fork.

Ford turned to Gelvin. "You and Maegella managed to contain the Sigil. How long will it hold?"

The Maester looked contemplatively at Dipper. "We may have a day or so," he said thoughtfully. "By now, Duroc and his cronies are wondering why the other Sigils have stopped glowing back in Rothezar. They will make another attempt with the Sigils soon, possibly try to send another agent to this dimension. The last one is highly doubtful; the ten mages they… _forced_ into casting the teleportation spell days ago will still be out cold."

"I hope they do not recruit more," Maegella said quietly, looking worried. Gelvin turned to pat her hand in a consoling way.

"I have a question," said Ben in a quiet voice. He reached down and hugged his son and daughter with one arm. "If you find a way to remove that Sigil-thing from Dipper, how will it affect him? Is he going to get sick again like when he was a baby?"

"He will not become sick," Gelvin said calmly. "That danger has passed. Dipper will grow up to be a fine man, with or without the Sigil's protection."

Ben and Stan breathed out a sigh of relief. From the doorway, they heard Sarah say, "Oh, thank goodness!" Mabel took Dipper's hand and raised it high and said, "Yay!" while Soos and Wendy cheered.

"What are your plans for removing it from Dipper, then?" Ford suddenly asked. The celebration died down immediately.

Maegella spoke hesitantly, looking at Gelvin, "We are…considering options as of now." At their confused expressions, Maegella clarified, "Maester Gelvin is waiting for more visions to show the way."

"They come when they please," said Gelvin, shrugging. "For now, we keep watch over Dipper and make sure he gets his strength back."

"And how long do we need to keep Mr. Slimy here?" asked Stan, pointing at a spot in the middle of the coffee table between them. The bullfrog known as Worgel croaked grumpily from his glass jar. After Maegella and Gelvin contained the Sigil, Mabel scooped up the glass jar and stuffed it in Dipper's overnight bag before everybody affected by the sleeping spell on three floors woke up. Gelvin then befuddled the doctor on duty to allow Dipper's discharge from the hospital later that day.

"For as long as possible," answered Maegella. "We cannot have him running around this village causing trouble."

"And as long as he stays in his jar, he will not be able to transform back," added Gelvin.

"Are we supposed to find flies for him now?" asked Mabel, eyeing the bullfrog with a light expression of disgust.

Sarah felt that this was the time to walk into the crowded room. "It's almost lunchtime, everyone! Can someone help me set the table?"

There was a general murmur of assent as they rose from their seats. Dipper made to move from the Lie-Me-Down chair, but was stopped by his father. "You stay here, kiddo," said Ben, gently ruffling Dipper's hair. "You still need to recover from all…" he waved his hand in the air, "…this."

"Mom, Dad, can I eat lunch here with Dipper?" Mabel piped up.

Ben and Sarah looked at each other. "Oh, very well," said Sarah. "Just make sure you don't spill any crumbs or drinks on the carpet, okay? But Waddles needs to eat in the kitchen."

 **XXXXX**

"What's bothering ya, bro?" asked Mabel through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

Dipper frowned at his plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes. He only ate a sliver of the beef before deciding to play with the lumpy mash. "It's—I dunno. It's been bugging me since that Maester guy explained about this thing on my forehead…"

Mabel swallowed, put her fork down and placed her tray on the coffee table next to the glass jar. She moved to sit on the arm of the recliner. "Wanna talk about it?"

Dipper looked at his twin and nodded. Since last summer, the twins have found it easier to talk about almost everything. They found in each other not just the closest friend, but also a confidant, defender, and therapist. Surviving a near-apocalypse simply strengthened their bond; Ben and Sarah found their children a lot more understanding and affectionate when they returned home to Piedmont.

Dipper looked around, looked at Mabel, took a deep breath, and whispered, "If I always had this magical powerful symbol on my forehead, how come Bill didn't take it or recognize it when he possessed me _months_ ago?"

He did not bring this up during the meeting earlier, seeing how much he worried his family and friends. Telling them that he was briefly possessed by a triangular demon, while his parents were in the room? Dipper did not want to know how much Mom and Dad would flip out. They may even blame Stan and Ford for that, and possibly ban him and Mabel from ever seeing them again. Granted, that last one might be stretching it, but still…

Mabel opened her mouth to reply, but another voice issued from the door, "I may be able to answer that question, my boy."

Dipper and Mabel gasped; Mabel turned around to peek over the recliner.

"Oh, hi Mr. Maester!" said Mabel in a forced chipper voice. "Uh, you wanna watch TV or play cards?"

"Another time, Mabel," said Gelvin, smiling. He closed the sliding doors behind him and walked towards the recliner; one of the ottomans rose from the floor and floated towards a spot in front of the twins. It dropped to the floor just as Gelvin sat down.

"Cool," chorused Dipper and Mabel.

Gelvin turned to address Dipper, "I couldn't help but overhear your concern earlier as I was returning from your washing room."

"Concern?" asked Dipper; he looked nervous. "What…?"

"Washing room?" echoed Mabel.

The Maester looked at the twins with a kindly air. "The Cipher possessed you months ago, when he tried to get to Stanford's journal to destroy it," he said to Dipper. "What better place to achieve total global domination than in the body of the boy who held the Sigil! And yet…" He raised his hands in the air and shrugged. "He was thrown out of your body by mere physical exhaustion!"

Mabel and Dipper looked at each other.

"So, Mr. Maester, why didn't Bill get to use the magic thingy on Dipper's forehead when he had the chance?" asked Mabel.

"Ah," said Gelvin, rubbing his hands together. "When I placed the Sigil on Dipper's physical form, I added protective spells that would have kept it safe for Dipper and from evil intentions. It was a risky decision, but I knew it would be highly unlikely of Duroc to find the other four Sigils that soon. I also saw that the Cipher would attempt to possess you, but none of my visions about it showed him succeed in attempting to take the Sigil's power."

"Really?" asked Dipper in surprise. "Why is that?"

"Remember that the Cipher only had access to this dimension through dreams, possession or via a dimensional rift," Gelvin said. "Once he possesses someone else's physical form, he is quite limited to what the vessel is able to do."

Mabel gave a start, remembering something. "Wait a second—Dipper was pooped when Bill turned him into a sock puppet," she recalled. "And I flushed him out of my brother by tickling him and running around the stage!" She chuckled at the memory, satisfied at beating Bill. "He dropped like a bag of rocks."

"Oh yeah," agreed Dipper. "I remembered that underwhelming feeling. And the pain."

Gelvin nodded, beaming at the children. "And not once did he attempt to obtain the Sigil while he was in Dipper's body. If you could not do it, neither could he." Gelvin shrugged, smiling.

Dipper straightened up in his seat, looking less like a small, stressed middle-aged man and more like a recuperating thirteen-year-old boy. Gelvin and Mabel smiled as Dipper pulled in his tray and began eating again.

 **XXXXX**

On the other side of the living room door, Stan, Ford and Maegella breathed a sigh of relief in sync.

"So young, and so serious," murmured Maegella, looking at the door with concern as Ford carefully slid the doors closed.

"Yeah, it runs in the family," said Stan in a low voice, pointing at his brother. "So, what did you two want to talk about with me?"

Ford looked at Stan and Maegella, then beckoned them away from the living room door. He led the way towards the kitchen (Soos and Wendy helped Sarah and Ben clear away the table) and out the back door.

After closing the door behind him, Ford turned to his companions and said in a low voice, "Stan, we need to talk to Maester Gelvin about what happened at the hospital."

Stan crossed his arms and stared at his brother. "This about the stuff the kid said while he was all glowy and possessed?"

Maegella and Ford nodded. "We need to know what we are truly dealing with," said Maegella. "For Dipper's sake."

"I'm in," said Stan. "When do you want to do this?"

"Tonight."

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** The Cipher possession during Sock Opera did come to mind while I was writing this. The Gravity Falls Wiki on Bill confirmed the limitations. Now, how will they surprise a fortune-teller? Hmmm…


	17. The Pendulum

_Pines Residence, Piedmont CA – February 19_

The rest of the day felt like a holiday (which, for the kids, it was). After lunch, Soos spent about an hour on the phone updating Melody about their adventures and talking to Abuelita, getting some news about Gravity Falls as well.

"The snow storms have eased up, and the gnomes have resumed their pie raids at Greasy's Diner!" Soos shared that afternoon as he and Ford helped Sarah and Ben unload the groceries from the van. "And Chutzpar and Abuelita are getting along surprisingly great! He's been helping out at the Mystery Shack, doing the heavy lifting free of charge."

"Stan would be delighted at the idea of the free labor," said Ford, chuckling as they carried the groceries through the house. Stan was in the living room watching TV with Gelvin, Maegella, Wendy and the kids.

Sarah, who promised her husband to become a bit more open-minded about the weirdness, asked, "Are they indigenous to Oregon, or should we be worried about gnome raids in California as well?"

"Oh, I wouldn't be too worried about them, Sarah," replied Ford in a light tone as he set down the bags on the floor of the kitchen. "They're relatively harmless, and as far as I know, the largest colony of known gnomes is based in Gravity Falls. But, in the event of feral gnome attacks, take a leaf from Dipper's book and let them have it with a leaf blower!"

Sarah blinked. "Oh—uh, that's nice to know," she said brightly, setting down two bags of groceries on the table. As she began to sort the contents, she was heard muttering, "Where can we get a leaf blower?"

Ben approached his uncle and whispered, "She's been asking me to ask you about the other critters of legend that we ought to know about. I swear, she's becoming as bad as Dipper about the supernatural now that she knows they're real."

Ford just chuckled. He followed Ben back to the front of the house for the rest of the groceries; Soos stayed behind to help Sarah sort the groceries.

"Ben, I need to ask a favor," said Ford quietly.

Ben stopped about a foot away from the parked minivan, turning around to address his uncle. "Sure thing, Uncle Ford," he said. "What do you need?"

 **XXXXX**

 _After dinner…_

Ben and Sarah's house in Piedmont was a small, two-storey, four-bedroom affair; on the second floor, Dipper and Mabel shared one room and their parents have the master bedroom. The third bedroom was reserved for guests, which was currently occupied by Maegella and Wendy (the men opted to sleep in the living room). On the ground floor, Ben turned the fourth room into a home office, which he and Sarah are planning to turn into another bedroom if and when one of the kids decided to have separate rooms. Ford shared with Stan and Maegella that this will be where they will interview Gelvin.

"Well, we got our interrogation room," said Stan, walking towards the desk and sitting behind it. "How do we reel in the old—uh—older guy in here?"

"Before we ate, I told Maester Gelvin that we will meet him here after supper," shared Maegella, brushing down her magically repaired vest. She left her cloak upstairs, but like Gelvin, Maegella held on to her staff. She looked at Stan's stupefied expression and shrugged. "I thought plain speaking would be best. I did not tell him what needed to be discussed."

"That—that's fine!" said Ford just as someone knocked on the door. He walked over to open the door and come face to face with Maester Gelvin. The Maester smiled as Ford stepped aside to let him into the room.

"Well, we are all here," said Gelvin, walking over towards a window seat and sitting on it. "I may have an idea what you want to talk to me about, but I feel it best that you start asking me about it now."

 **XXXXX**

Dipper was in the living room, watching a movie with Mabel, Soos and Wendy but not really following the plot. He wasn't able to talk to Ford privately as he had promised himself, and now it looks like all the old people are huddled in Dad's office for some kind of meeting. When Dipper walked over to the door to knock, Ben caught him and told him not to disturb them.

"Sorry, buddy," he said in a consoling voice. "They have something to discuss with Gelvin, and Uncle Ford explicitly said that they shouldn't be disturbed unless it's an emergency."

"Oh," said Dipper, trying to hide his disappointment as Maester Gelvin approached the door. The elderly man looked down at Dipper and smiled. "We will try to conclude this meeting as quickly as possible, Dipper," said Gelvin before he knocked on the door.

Dipper stifled a yawn, trying to focus on the movie…

 **XXXXX**

Both Maegella and Ford elected to stand up inside the room. Ford leaned against the bookcase opposite Gelvin, while Maegella stood next to the desk.

Ford took Gelvin's lead and went straight to the subject: "Maester Gelvin, when Dipper woke up in the hospital, he spoke in a voice that was not his own and started referring to himself in the first person _plural_. You and Maegella claim that the Pendulum Sigil is an object of great power, but we feel that there is something else that you're not telling us."

"We would like to hear the truth from you," added Maegella, looking at her mentor. "And learn more on how best we can help Dipper."

"Yeah," said Stan, leaning forward on his seat. "What was up with the kid? The way he acted then, it was like he was speaking for two people."

"He was," agreed Gelvin.

Stan's jaw dropped. "WHAT?"

"What do you mean, Maester Gelvin?" asked Maegella. She looked at Ford, whose face seemed to have lost all color.

Gelvin sighed as he stroked his beard. "Maegella, let me ask you something: what do you remember of the history of the Founders of Rothezar?"

Maegella raised an eyebrow. "They already know, Maester Gelvin…"

"Humor me, child," said Gelvin, smiling.

Maegella snorted. "I am no longer a child; I have seen fifty-five winters…"

"Fifty-five winters?" asked Stan, puzzled.

Ford looked over at his twin and explained, "It means Maegella's fifty-five years old."

"FIFTY-FIVE?!"

Gelvin and Maegella both blinked and looked at Stan; the man looked absolutely flabbergasted at Maegella, eyeing her from head to toe.

"I—I thought you were forty or forty-something," muttered Stan. To Ford, he demanded, "Did you know about this?!"

Ford rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did. Actually, when I saw her yesterday, I thought she hasn't aged a day."

Maegella shook her head, trying hard not to smile. "Thank you, Stanford and Stanley," she muttered. She cleared her throat. "Moving on…thousands of years ago, Cipher tricked one of the Great Leaders into building a gateway into Rothezar. This Leader was defeated by the other four and destroyed the gateway before it was completed, angering the demon. The demon sent otherworldly crafts to Rothezar as vengeance, forcing the Leaders to band together to create Mek-Death and power it with the Five Sigils. The kingdoms were saved and peace restored after the Leaders split the Sigils before founding the city of Rothezar."

"And…that is all?" asked Gelvin.

Maegella stared at him. "Yes. That was the history as the Red Guild Maester taught us when I was a child."

"Did the Red Guild Maester say how many Founders founded Rothezar?" asked Gelvin curiously.

This gave Maegella pause. She looked down, trying to recall. "He—he only said that the Leaders became the Founders," she recalled. "And that the Guilds have henceforth continued teaching their ways of magic up to the present age."

"The Founders of Rothezar also founded the Guilds?" Ford asked in surprise. Gelvin and Maegella nodded.

"What is not well known is this: what Maegella has shared of our history is the redacted version, spread all over the kingdoms during the Founding of Rothezar."

Maegella stared at Gelvin. "What—what are you saying?"

"I am saying that the known history kept one truth out: not all of the Leaders became Founders."

Silence came after this simple statement for a few moments. Gelvin looked calmly at them as they quietly processed his words.

"What's the Founders got to do with Dipper?" asked Stan.

"What happened when they activated Mek-Death?" asked Ford at the same time.

Maegella sat down on a nearby chair. She seemed to have realized something. "Tell us, Maester Gelvin," she said. "What was kept from us all this time?"

The Maester sighed, "When the spacecrafts rained hellfire on the kingdoms, the Leaders took a great risk by taking the Five Sigils, the only protection they have against the invaders, and placing them on Mek-Death. It seemed like the Guardian was brought to life, but it did not move. Remember that the Leaders were at the peak of their powers, the greatest spellcasters who ever lived, but nothing they cast on the Guardian would make it move. The Disgraced One realized that Mek-Death could not move without a navigator. Then, the Disgraced One did something extraordinary: he took his kingdom's Sigil, the Pendulum, and bonded with it. In his remorse for the terror he brought upon the land, he gave himself up and bonded with Guardian to defend his people."

"Which meant that he saved your world from Bill," said Stan, leaning forward in his seat. "He's not disgraced!"

"He gave himself up, Stan," said Ford quietly. He turned to Gelvin. "He died in the effort."

Gelvin shook his head. "They never found his physical remains," he said. "After finishing the last of the invaders, the remaining Leaders discovered Mek-Death near the sea and retrieved the Sigils. To their surprise, they found that only one of them still glowed."

"The Pendulum," whispered Maegella. "Why was it still glowing?"

"Because the Disgraced One did not die," replied Gelvin. "He was consumed and bonded with the Sigil."

 **XXXXX**

 _The late afternoon light bathed the interior in warm red and purple hues. He walked into the gift shop and headed straight for the ladder behind the counter. No one will find them up there. No one will disturb them._

 _He reached the top and pushed open the panel leading to the platform. He walked over to it; it didn't seem to have changed since that day he, Mabel and Grunkle Stan set off those highly illegal but fun fireworks. There was the cooler, the giant umbrella, the lawn chair, and…_

 _Dipper stopped next to the cooler, staring at the other person sitting on the edge of the platform, watching the sun set. He smiled and took out a can of Pitt Cola from the cooler before walking over to sit next to the familiar figure. The other person looked at Dipper and grinned; the two of them could have been looking at a reflection, identical from head to toe, except that the other one wore a blue and white cap with the number "2" on it._

 _"Hey man! I was wondering when you'd show up," said Tyrone._

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** Thing is, this is STILL not the whole story, GELVIN…


	18. What is Necessary

As Gelvin had predicted, the new information about the Sigil caused an uproar.

"Maester Gelvin, what have you done?!"

"Dipper is being controlled by THAT GUY?!"

"Didn't you see this coming before you put that thing on our NEPHEW?!"

The Maester gave Ford a somber stare. "Of course I considered it, Stanford," he calmly. "I looked into Dipper's crib and saw the babe's future diverge into two paths. If I did not do what I have done, we would not be here, and Mabel would have become an only child. I chose the path that was the best for all. And for the record, Stanley, he is not controlled by the Disgraced One," Gelvin continued, looking at the outraged man standing behind the desk. "Dipper's mind and decisions are his own, greater than what was left of the entity within the Sigil. What happened at the hospital was a very unusual occurrence—as Dipper's situation itself is unparalleled—of which I have a theory."

"Which is?" asked Maegella tightly.

"You know I placed protective spells upon both Dipper and the Sigil, more to protect the boy than the Sigil," Gelvin began. "But Duroc has the other four Sigils and used them to try to find the Pendulum. The resulting magic made Dipper unconscious, yet not completely so. He _was_ aware, as he proved when Worgel aimed the flamestrike at his twin back at the hospital. Dipper's instincts to protect his sister managed to breach the protective spells I placed upon the Sigil and caused him to also awaken the entity within."

"But, why did he—uh— _they_ say 'our sister'?" asked Maegella, confused.

The query made Gelvin scratch the back of his head nervously and look away from Maegella. "Well, this is where I become sheepish," he admitted. "I may have underestimated the awareness of the Disgraced One. It seems that…well, he may have become immersed in Dipper's life as his host matured."

 **XXXXX**

 _Dipper chuckled as he opened his can of Pitt Cola. "When I'd show up?" he said to Tyrone. "Sounds like you've been waiting for me for a while, Tyrone."_

 _Tyrone grinned and shook his head. "I've always been waiting, Dipper. This is your dream, after all." He raised his own can of Pitt Cola and added, "Cheers!" before gulping it down._

 _Dipper looked at his clone in concern. When Tyrone's middle didn't bubble and liquefy, he laughed and took a swig of cola himself. "Aw, man, I missed talking to you!"_

 _"Hey, don't you go all mushy on me, pal," said Tyrone, laughing as he punched Dipper lightly on the arm. Dipper laughed along as the shadows became longer. Waddles and Gompers started floating by, oinking and bleating respectively as they went to chase a miniature Mabel in a pink-and-purple, rocket-powered hamster ball. Mabel waved at him and Tyrone, and the two boys waved back before the rockets ignited, showering them with silver glitter._

 _"Want to go investigate something in the woods?" asked Tyrone as he tossed his empty can to Gompers before standing up. The goat zoomed downwards to retrieve the can, with Waddles following close behind._

 _"Sure thing!" said Dipper, standing up as well. "What are we looking for?"_

 _Tyrone looked out at the woods beyond. "Well, it's either a really underfed Yeti or Toby Determined got lost in the woods while wearing a fur coat. It's hard to tell. That's why it's a good thing you're here! But, we need to get the gear from your old room!"_

 _Dipper gave his clone a confused look. "Well, I could just…"_

 _But Tyrone grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the panel on the roof._

 **XXXXX**

Maegella was floored. "The Disgraced One _cared_ for Mabel?" she asked in amazement. She spotted a picture frame on the desk and took it; it showed a picture of Dipper and Mabel standing in front of their parents on the sands of a beach.

Gelvin nodded. "He would care as Dipper would care," he said. "And he was prepared to squash Worgel in retaliation for attacking you, his sister and his mother. Dipper would have stayed his hand, but you intervened first, Maegella."

"And that's the problem we have here, Gelvin," Ford growled. "We've seen what nearly happened back there. What assurance do we have that the entity inside the Sigil won't take over Dipper's mind and body _permanently_? I will not let a member of my family live with that threat over their head! _Never again_!"

The last few words were nearly released in a shout, but it was close. Ford realized that his heart rate was slightly elevated; he closed his eyes and started breathing in deeply. After a few breaths, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Ford opened his eyes and saw Maegella standing next to him, looking at him with concern.

Stan coughed. "Ford here has major issues with possessions," he said grimly, looking at his twin with concern. "Something we have in common: I have issues with it when it happens to members of _my_ family."

"Damn right," Ford grumbled. He felt Maegella lightly squeeze his shoulder.

"Their concern is genuine, Maester Gelvin," said Maegella, turning to the Maester. "The Containing Stone is gone. What can we do to remove the Sigil from Dipper? Can we move it to another object?"

"Unfortunately, there is no material on Earth that could contain the Sigil. Moving it could have it returning to Rothezar on its own. But there is a solution, and you are not going to like this," Gelvin murmured. "The type of stone that could hold a Sigil of power can only be mined in the caves of Beleger..."

"Back in Rothezar," finished Maegella.

 **XXXXX**

 _They're at the landing before the attic room, bare and filled with the purple light from the sunset that filtered through the window. Dust motes danced in the air as the two boys approached the attic door._

 _"Whoa, shoelaces are untied again," said Tyrone, kneeling down to tie them back up. "You go on in, I'll follow."_

 _"Okay, buddy," said Dipper. He walked through the door; the last time he saw this room, he and Mabel had packed up their things, leaving the beds and walls bare before they left for Piedmont._

 _But the room was not bare; it was also not the attic bedroom that he remembered._

 _The door slammed shut behind him. Dipper whirled around in surprise and ran to the door, trying to open it, but the knob was gone. He started banging his fists on the door._

 _"Tyrone! Tyrone!" he yelled._

 _A section of wood opened fluidly into a circle, revealing Tyrone on the other side. He looked—oddly serene._

 _"Tyrone, what the HECK is going on?!" demanded Dipper._

 _"I'm sorry, man," replied Tyrone. "Had to be done."_

 _"You…you did this?!" cried Dipper. "Why?!"_

 _"It must be done, Dipper," repeated Tyrone calmly. "It needs to happen…"_

 _"Oh yeah, well…this is a dream!" said Dipper confidently. "I can wake up and get the heck out of here!" He slapped himself hard on the face. "Ow, that hurt! Wait—why am I still here?"_

 _"Save it, Dipper," said Tyrone firmly. "This is necessary. You have to stay here until it's all over. I don't want you hurt."_

 _"What?!" cried Dipper. "Tyrone, what…ooooh, what the heck is happening with your eyes, man?!"_

 _Dipper started backing away from the door as Tyrone's eyes began glowing white._ **THEY CALL ME; I MUST ANSWER** _, said Tyrone in a deep, haunting voice as the opening in the door began to close._

 **XXXXX**

Right then, Maegella and Gelvin gasped. Before either Stan or Ford could ask anything, the Rothezarians looked at each other briefly in alarm before running for the door (which opened on its own before them). Stan and Ford wasted no time in following the duo.

"What's going on?!" yelled Stan as they all scrambled to the hallway. The next thing they knew, _something_ knocked them all backwards on the floor. Ford and Maegella managed to get back on their feet first. They looked down the other end of the hall in shock.

Two small figures were floating in mid-air. One of them was Dipper, with eyes and forehead glowing white once more. He seemed to be holding something under one arm; they realized it was the glass jar with the enchanted Worgel. On Dipper's other side, with her eyes closed and her head bowed, was Mabel. They were holding hands…

Maegella gasped in horror.

"KIDS!" Ford and Stan yelled.

"DIPPER! MABEL!"

The new voices came from behind them; Sarah and Ben had reached the first floor after hearing the commotion and were looking down the hallway in terror.

" _My babies!_ " Sarah wailed.

Dipper's serene expression did not change as he looked at the people behind him.

 **IT MUST BE DONE** , he said in a deep and haunting voice. **WHEN IT IS OVER, WE WILL COME BACK.**

Then he looked away and said, **IRMA HAEANNON.**

The room filled with the sounds of crackling; everyone's hair started to stand on end from the electricity it generated. The lights inside the house began to fluctuate. Sarah started screaming as Ben grabbed her and shielded her from this potential threat. Stan and Gelvin got to their feet and gasped in awe as a large, rectangular white doorway appeared in the middle of the hallway, right in front of Dipper. It was blindingly white, with tendrils of bright blue electrical charges creeping out of it. Some of the charges burned holes into the blue and white wallpaper and the wood floor.

"He's opened a dimensional gateway!" Gelvin yelled over the crackling as Dipper and Mabel floated towards the white door.

"We have to stop them!" Ford yelled as well. He broke into a run.

Right behind him, Maegella, Stan and Gelvin began to rush towards the dimensional door. Dipper and Mabel had already disappeared into the light.

"NO!" Ben screamed as he rose from the ground and followed the others. "KIDS!"

The next thing Ben knew, he crashed into the wall at the end. Dazed, Ben looked around the area and realized that he was the only one on this end of the hallway. Stan and Ford and their two wizard guests—and the children—were gone.

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** Hail Caesar…

Wkhb fdoohg Rqh dqg Rqh pxvw dqvzhu

Rqh orrnhg lqvlgh dqg irxqg d fkdudfwhu

Wrrn dgydqwdjh dqg fkdqjhg irup

Wkh fdoo dqvzhuhg; suhsduh wkh vwrup


	19. Council Meeting

The closest that Stan could compare the trip through the gateway was when he fell into the Bottomless Pit (twice), except for the colorful rays of light against the inky backdrop and the feeling that they were doing loop-de-loops in a giant waterslide. The yelling from his companions was about the same as the last time. There was a distinct smell of ozone and burnt socks. Burnt _used_ socks.

"I'm too old for this shiiiiiiiiiii—OOF!"

Unlike the trip through the Bottomless Pit, the travel time through the gateway was—surprisingly—relatively shorter. The change from flying through multicolored space to rolling downhill on a leaf-strewn landscape was abruptly shocking. Painful as well when they encountered branches and loose rocks on the way down. Eventually, the incline evened out to a flat expanse of ground. Stan stopped rolling and landed on his face.

He carefully pushed himself up from the ground, spitting out some dirt and leaves. "Everyone okay?" he asked hoarsely.

Stan sat dazed and cross-legged on the ground and looked around at the unfamiliar landscape in the dimming light; it looks like late afternoon. He only just registered the sound of running water nearby from one ear; his hearing aid had stopped working. He remembered hearing Ben and Sarah screaming behind them, and an uncomfortable knot formed in the pit of his stomach. _Will we ever get to visit the kids again after we bring them back?_

"Aside from the scratches and dizziness, I'm good," groaned Ford somewhere ahead of Stan, sounding faint now that the hearing aid didn't work. Stan turned around and spotted his brother pushing himself up to a kneeling position. Beside him, Maegella started to sit up. Ford looked around, his eyebrows rising to his hairline in surprise. "This place looks familiar…"

"Yes, it is," spoke Gelvin. The twins looked around and spotted the Maester a few feet away from them, gingerly raising himself up to his feet using his staff. "We have arrived within the boundaries of the Blue Guild."

"Who goes there?!"

The four of them gave a start as eight figures in blue flew down from the sky on Hover Discs. Maegella and Ford sprung to their feet as they were surrounded by eight blue staffs aimed in their direction. Stan decided to stay where he was and just raised his hands.

After a moment, the tallest of the eight gave a start and pulled down their blue hood, revealing a head of untidy, ash blonde hair and a lean, handsome face of a man in his thirties. "Mentor Maegella, is that you?" he asked in surprise, lowering his staff.

Maegella blinked and peered at the speaker. "Sandri!" she cried. "Yes, it is I. I am with Maester Gelvin and two friends from another plane of existence. Be at ease!"

Sandri turned to his fellows. "Be at ease! We are in the presence of a Blue Guild Mentor and a Maester from the Gray Guild!" he barked out as he jumped from his Hover Disc and approached Maegella. "Greetings, Mentor and Maester!" he said, raising his staff. The other seven Mages dropped down from their Discs and repeated the salute. Maegella and Gelvin returned the greeting; the moment Gelvin dropped his staff arm, he started looking around at the ground. Stan raised an eyebrow and decided to check what the Maester was doing.

"My apologies, Mentor. We have heard what we thought was thunder and spotted the white flash from the Guild Hall," explained Sandri, looking from Maegella to the rest of the party. His gaze lingered on Ford. "Pardon me, but you seem familiar…"

"He should look familiar, Sandri," said Maegella, grinning. "Stanford Pines visited us twenty years ago, near this very river. I asked you to inform the Maesters in advance when I went to assess his injuries."

Sandri's blue-gray eyes widened in recognition. "The dimension-hopper!" he gasped. "You have returned to the Blue Guild! Welcome back, Stanford Pines!"

"Thank you, Sandri," Ford replied, smiling as Sandri raised his staff in greeting. Ford opted to ignore the murmurs from the rest of the guard when Sandri mentioned "dimension-hopper".

"And yet, you come to us injured again," said Sandri, looking at him from head to toe. He turned to Maegella and said, in an apologetic tone, "We are under orders to present visitors and intruders alike to the Maesters, Mentor Maegella. Security has intensified since you have sent word that the Deceiver has found the four Sigils."

Maegella nodded, looking grim. "I understand, Sandri, and I am proud that you take your job seriously." Sandri seemed to puff up with pride at this praise. "And it is good that we will face the Maesters. There is a new development that they must be made aware of immediately, but I would like to meet them first while the rest of my companions seek healing at the Springs."

"I would also like to meet with the Blue Guild Maesters with you, Maegella," said Maester Gelvin. He approached the group holding a large jar. "We also need to show this to them. It seems that Stanford and Stanley are not the only visitors to have reached Rothezar."

Gelvin raised the jar for everyone to see. Ford stepped closer to see the contents of the jar. He realized that it was the same jar that contained Worgel the bullfrog, but now he had company: one large, round and smooth green frog and one small, bright red frog.

Beside Gelvin, Stan's jaw dropped. Ford adjusted the glasses on his face and whispered, "Are those…?"

"Soos?" cried Stan, clapping his hands to his face. "Wendy?!"

After calming Stan down, Sandri decided to take everyone to the Springs first to get treated before meeting with the Maesters. He handed the jar of amphibians to a brown-haired female mage named Sofi, with explicit instructions to have one of the Maesters de-enchant the occupants of the jar and bring Soos and Wendy to the Springs and put Worgel into a holding cell. Sofi and two other Mages flew off ahead of them back to the Guild, while the others worked out a pairing system to bring the four to the Springs via Hover Discs. Ford suggested that Stan pair up with the stockiest mage in the group, not quite confident that his twin has been completely cured of his fear of heights.

 **XXXXX**

 _Five hours later: Blue Guild Hall, February 19_

"Stan, what took you so long?" asked Ford as he spotted his twin walking towards them in the small waiting room. Like the rest of them (except for Gelvin), Stan was provided with a spare set of local clothes consisting of a comfortable shirt, pants, boots, belt, and a cloak, all in varying shades of blue. After Soos and Wendy were de-enchanted and joined them at the Springs, it took between thirty minutes to two hours for each of them to be deemed fully healed, with Ford being the second to the last to emerge from the pool. As for Stan, the Mage assigned to him kept on checking him and the pool he was wallowing in, with the latter constantly shaking his head at Stan. The last Ford saw of Stan, he was arguing with the Mage to be let out of the pool.

Stan snorted. "Ugh, the guy kept telling me that the pool wasn't done with me yet and I have to keep marinating in there until all the 'ills' were washed out."

Ford shook his head. "The Mage knows what he's doing," he said, chuckling. "The Springs detect old and new ills and injuries and fix them; knowing you and your horrible diet, the pool must have found a LOT of things to cure."

Stan shrugged. "I'm not complaining," he said, grinning. "Beats paying for Doctor Medicine! And guess what? My hearing aid stopped working earlier, but now I don't need it!" He put a hand in his pocket and showed Ford his old hearing aid. "I can HEAR in this ear again! And I think—I think my cataracts are gone, too! I've never seen in such high definition before!"

Wendy, who sat next to Maegella on one of the ornately carved benches in the waiting area, looked at her old boss and remarked, "Is it just me, or did Stan lose a lot of wrinkles?"

"It's like the pool ironed out all the wrinkles!" Soos gasped. "Or it—filled up the wrinkles? Anyway, his skin looks so smooth now!" He attempted to reach out to touch Stan's face, but Stan managed to dodge him and stand next to his twin. This had everyone staring at the Pines brothers; with the exception of the hairstyle, Stan's broader frame and Ford's cleft in his chin, the two men looked completely identical in their matching blue outfits.

A door opened nearby. Sandri stepped out of the door and announced, "The Maesters are ready for you now."

They all stood up and followed Sandri into the room. The room was wide and circular with a high ceiling, made predominantly of midnight blue marble with pale yellow streaks. The sound of running water drew their eyes to the left, where a small waterfall was located. Around the round room were chairs that were carved from the same material as the walls. Five of those chairs were occupied by three women and two men, all around the same age as Gelvin.

Sandri stepped into the middle of the room and made the introductions. "Esteemed Maesters of the Blue Guild, I present Mentor Maegella and Maester Gelvin of the Gray Guild. They have arrived from Dimension 46'\ with four guests from that plane of existence: Stanford Pines, Stanley Pines, Wendy Corduroy and Soos Ramirez."

One of the Maesters, a bald elderly man with a stooped back, raised his hand and waved at Stan. "I know you!" said Maester Thrum in a quavering voice, beaming. "You were that inquisitive young man that Mentor Maegella found near the banks of the river twenty years past!"

"Uh, that was my brother Stanford, not me," said Stan, jerking his thumb to point at Ford. "I'm Stanley."

"Nice to see you again, Maester Thrum," said Ford, smiling back at the bald Maester.

"Ooooh," said Thrum, peering between Stan and Ford. "Twins! My mistake—I was about to say how much the extra weight suited you, Stanford."

"Hey!" said Stan, wrapping the cloak over his belly. Next to him, Ford looked down at his torso in confusion, wondering how Thrum was able to see the small chub that he developed since returning to his home dimension. Was it that noticeable now?

"That will do, Maester Thrum," said a stern-looking woman with white-streaked black hair sitting next to Thrum. She nodded at Sandri—who nodded back and retreated to the back of the room—and said, "Please, do sit down. We have much to discuss. Maester Gelvin, it is a pleasure to see you once again in Rothezar. We feared the worst has happened when you disappeared thirteen years ago."

"I thank you for your concern and your offering of hospitality, Maester Arra," said Gelvin as he and the others took their seats opposite the Maesters.

"Well then, let us not waste time," said Arra in a brisk tone. "Presently, only the Blue Guild is aware of your group's arrival in Rothezar. We have de-enchanted the Deceiver's henchman, Worgel, and confiscated his staff before placing him in a holding cell. However, before your arrival, Sandri has learned from another watch group that there were others who have appeared from the same area. Sandri?"

Sandri took one step forward and said, "That is correct. The watch group reported seeing two small figures appear above the trees from the point of the flash. Before they could approach them, the figures vanished off to the south, towards the coast."

Six gasps filled the room.

"You know them?" asked the other male Maester. In contrast to Thrum, this Maester's face was almost obscured by thick, fading red hair and a long flowing beard. He physically resembled Bud Gleeful in roundness.

"Yes we do, Maester Ozias," answered Maegella as she stood up. "They are Dipper and Mabel Pines, the great-nephew and great-niece of Stanley and Stanford. Dipper Pines is the holder of the Pendulum Sigil; he was able to open a dimensional gateway with which we followed them back to Rothezar."

The Blue Guild Maesters looked shocked at this information.

"How is this possible?" demanded Maester Arra. She looked directly at Gelvin. "How, _Gelvin_?!"

"Honestly, Arra, you should have been a Gray Guild Mage," said Gelvin, shaking his head.

"Logically, you would be the only one qualified enough to make the transfer," Arra said dryly.

Gelvin laughed as he stood up. He wasn't fazed by Arra's temper. "You have me there. Now, allow me to share what has happened…"

And Gelvin provided the backstory, from his arrival to Dimension 46'\ up until the events of over five hours ago, with some additional information from Maegella, Stan, Ford, Soos and Wendy. Soos and Wendy shared that the last thing they remembered was watching a movie with Dipper and Mabel in the living room before being de-enchanted at the Blue Guild. When Gelvin finished his accounting and sat back down, the Maesters on the other side looked pensive.

The short, brown-haired woman on the left of Maester Arra stared at Gelvin. "That was a very precarious decision you made thirteen years ago," she said in a reproving tone. "Despite your good intentions and ability to see the future."

"I know that, Maester Lilis," agreed Gelvin. "But I did it for the good of all. Had I not done so, Stanley Pines would not have been able to defeat the Cipher for good."

Stan suddenly felt nervous as all eyes in the room fixed on him. His brother, Gelvin, Maegella, and former employees looked at him proudly, while the rest had a mixture of awe and surprise.

"Incredible…" breathed Lilis. "We did not know a great hero is in our presence."

The praise had reduced Stan to incoherent muttering and making him look all around the room. Ford patted him on the shoulder.

"Many worlds are in your debt, Stanley Pines," said the white-haired Maester sitting next to Lilis. To Gelvin, she said, "Despite your precautions and good intentions, the fifth Sigil has returned to Rothezar. _However_ , even if young Dipper Pines is standing in front of Duroc, Duroc will not be able to revive the Guardian. There may be time to stop this and help the boy."

Stan and Ford perked up in their seats. Maegella immediately asked the question that they wanted to ask: "How so, Maester Galen?"

Maester Galen turned her black eyes on Maegella. "The Rule of the First Act," she said simply.

This confused the non-Rothezarians in the room, who turned to look at each other with raised eyebrows. It made sense to Maegella and Sandri; their eyes widened in realization. Stan was the only one who noticed Gelvin _not_ reacting to this revelation.

"The Rule of the what now?" said Wendy, perplexed.

Maester Lilis cleared her throat. "The Rule of the First Act is one of the most fundamental laws of magic in Rothezar," she said. "Essentially, whatever happened to cause the magic will always be the way the magic will work."

"Say wha?" asked Soos, cocking his head to the side like a puzzled puppy.

"I think I got the gist of it, Soos," said Ford, turning to the younger man. "Let's say 'abracadabra' is a real spell. If you say the spell while, say, touching your nose, a giant pizza will appear before your eyes."

"Oh boy, PIZZA!" cried Soos in delight.

"But, if you say the spell without touching your nose, you won't be able to get the giant pizza."

"Aw, why not?" asked Soos, looking dejected.

"Because you didn't touch your nose like you did the first time," said Wendy in realization.

"Exactly," said Ford, smiling at the redhead.

All the Maesters in the room nodded, some of them smiling appreciatively at Ford, while one of them asked what a pizza was. Meanwhile, Ford began to recall Gelvin's story of the Disgraced One:

 _…the Disgraced One did something extraordinary: he took his kingdom's Sigil…and bonded with it. In his remorse for the terror he brought upon the land, he gave himself up and bonded with the Guardian to defend his people…_

Ford turned to look at Gelvin.

" _That's_ why you placed the Sigil on Dipper," he said slowly. "It's on Dipper, but Dipper can't activate the Guardian because he _didn't_ volunteer!"

"And he is not a Mage of Rothezar," added Maester Galen, looking at Ford with something close to approval on her impassive face. "He does not have the magical capacity to allow Sigil-magic to flow effortlessly through his body. However, this limitation is hazardous to his health the longer the Pendulum rests on his head."

"What can we do?" asked Stan, standing up. "We have to save them!"

"We understand your worry, Stanley Pines," said Maester Arra kindly. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "We must summon a magic smith to harvest the material from Beleger and prepare it for the Pendulum. We also need to send armed scouts to discover the location of the two children and bring them back to the safety of the Blue Guild."

"Sending the word out will require cunning during this troubled time," said Maester Thrum with a serious tint to his voice. "Since it was known that Duroc has found the four Sigils, all the Guilds have closed off their gates against him; no one wants Mek-Death revived. The price is too steep…"

"Agreed," said Ozias, nodding.

"If you're sending scouts out to rescue our niece and nephew, I want in," said Stan. "I'm not giving up on my niblings!"

"So do I," seconded Ford, standing up. He looked at his twin and shared a grin.

Maegella stood up. "I will accompany them on this mission," she said. "I have come this far. I will not abandon them now."

"I would like to join them on this quest as well," added Sandri, standing next to his Mentor.

"I'm coming too," said Soos and Wendy in unison.

Maester Gelvin arose from his seat. "I know how to make contact with the Resistance without being detected," he said. "We must not waste time; I propose we leave before the sunrise."

"Very well," said Maester Galen. She looked at Sandri. "Our guests will need appropriate equipment before you strike out tomorrow. Inform Eryx that I have given my permission."

"Yes, Maester Galen," replied Sandri.

"Now is the time for rest, travelers," said Maester Lilis, smiling benevolently at them. "Sandri will accompany you to your rooms. You have an early start tomorrow."

"We thank you for your time, good Maesters," said Maegella politely, raising her staff. They all followed Sandri as he exited the room and led the way away from the council chambers.

Maegella moved ahead to walk next to her former pupil. In a low voice, she asked, "Sandri, do you know where I can find Andreas?"

Sandri looked back at his Mentor, frowning. "Andreas? He disappeared around the same time you did," he said. "We thought he went with you when the enemy opened the dimensional gateway a few days ago."

"Suspicious," said Gelvin, frowning behind them. "Quite suspicious."

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** Wow, this was long. This is almost it; they're in Rothezar now. Also, the names of the Maesters came from a list of Greek names I found online.


	20. The Scouts

_The Blue Guild – pre-dawn, February 20 in Earth-time_

Seven cloaked figures walked away from the Blue Guild on foot before the sun rose, heading for the river that ran beside the compound. None of them spoke, though three of them couldn't stop yawning; Stan, Soos, and Wendy already started to miss their warm beds in the guest sleeping quarters.

The four visitors from Dimension 46'\ were woken up by Maegella after a few hours of sleep. They all dressed up and were led downstairs to a small room, where they met Gelvin, Sandri, and a somber-looking man with close-cropped black hair. Sandri introduced the somber man as Eryx; he looked to be about the same age as the Pines brothers.

Ford looked closely at the man and remarked in surprise, "You're not a Mage."

Eryx nodded. "I'm the head caretaker here. My job is to take inventory of the supplies and guard the historical keepsakes of the Blue Guild." He turned and hefted a large wooden box onto the table between them. "I've been told you'll need these," he said as he unlocked the box and opened it.

Sandri stepped back when the box was opened. The action did not go unnoticed by Eryx, who chuckled at the younger man. "Don't worry, lad," he said, grinning. "They're not dangerous to you if you don't touch 'em."

Wendy peeked into the box. "They're gloves," she said, sounding disappointed. She was expecting something cool, like a battle ax.

Eryx reached into the box and held up a pair of what looked like wrinkly blue leather gloves. "They're not just ordinary gloves, lass," he informed Wendy. "They are remnants from an old war, worn by the non-magical folk to defend themselves against rogue Mages. Stitched with the hairs of the _nimras_ and set with this _Teaga_ stone…" Eryx pointed to the back of the glove, where a small red stone with white bands was set. "…to provide protection for the wearer against offensive spells. Grab a Mage while wearing this, and they will not be able to cast spells. Care for a demonstration?"

"There is no time to waste, Eryx," said Maester Gelvin in a polite tone, while Sandri took another step backwards. "Just tell us how to summon the protection from these things and we will be on our way."

After the four non-Mages were each provided with a pair of gloves and taught how they were used, the group of seven were provided with bags of supplies and a quick meal. After the meal, Eryx led the group through the kitchens and showed them to a door.

"This is where we receive our supplies, away from the main gates," he explained, pointing to a small gate by the side of the great wall. "Go through here and follow the river. Good luck!"

That was over an hour ago. Gelvin and Maegella led the way, following the path of the river. Sandri took the rear, and the non-Mages walked in the middle.

Ford walked up to Maegella and Gelvin. "Where are we meeting them?" he asked quietly.

"Beside the river where you first appeared," Gelvin answered softly. "From there, we will take the _lobros_ and ride for the coast."

"What's at the coast?" Ford asked. "Why would the kids be taken there?"

"Not the coast itself, but what is nearby," clarified Gelvin. "There is one place they could have gone, and it is a sacred place. The Founders created it as a temporary base of operations while they planned and built the city of Rothezar. It is known as the Last Chambers."

"Why the Last Chambers?" Stan asked from behind them; he had been listening to their conversation for a while.

"Because it is the resting place of the Founders," explained Maegella. "When the last Founder died, our ancestors decided to turn it into their tomb."

"But why there?" asked Wendy. "Are there magic stuff in that place?"

"It is hard to say, as the personal effects of the Founders were left at their Guilds upon death," reply Maegella. "Some believe—Mages and non-Mages alike—that the essence of the Founders still linger in that place. I have heard stories of wishes being granted after visiting the place."

Gelvin snorted. "They turned it into a tourist attraction," he murmured. He looked ahead of them. "We're here."

Everyone looked up; a few feet away, five cloaked figures started walking out of the forest.

One of the figures with a staff stepped forward and pulled off their hood, showing the round face of a man with brown hair and a moustache. He raised his staff and said softly, "Greetings! I am Erwan. With Minda and Gardo, we come from the Green Guild. Gerda here is from the Yellow Guild and Veron is from the Red Guild. We are here to escort you all to the coast, Maester Gelvin."

Gelvin, Maegella and Sandri reciprocated their greeting. Maegella looked around and said, "I see no _lobros_ around. I thought we will take them to the coast from here?"

"My apologies, Mentor Maegella," replied Erwan. "But we had to change the plans. Mentor Darreon has reported that the Deceiver has sent out his forces to keep watch on the roads leading to the coast."

Stan looked at Ford at the mention of Darreon; his brother was frowning slightly at a tree ahead of them. Stan looked away and caught Wendy's eye; the two of them started looking at various parts of the landscape, trying not to smile.

Maegella looked surprised. "Darreon? How did Darreon know of this?"

"When did Darreon join the cause?" Gelvin murmured.

"Thirteen years ago, if I'm not mistaken," answered Maegella; Gelvin raised an eyebrow.

"He is one of the scouts investigating the movements of the Deceiver," explained Erwan about the same time. "Just last night, he sent us word that Duroc has moved with great haste from the Great Hall of Rothezar to the Last Chambers."

Gelvin and Maegella looked at each other.

"This leaves us with the Hover Discs; the _lobros_ would be too noticeable," said Gelvin. He looked at everyone and said, "It is a good thing we all make an even twelve! All right, Stanley, you're with me…"

"Oy," groaned Stan. He stood next to Gelvin as the Maester handed out pairing assignments: Soos with Sandri, Wendy with Gerda, Erwan with Minda, and Veron with Gardo. This left Ford with Maegella; Stan would bet his boat that Gelvin did this on purpose. He smirked when he saw how Ford tensed up and how Maegella seemed to be fumbling with the small metal disc she took from inside her robes.

The other Mages took out their Hover Discs and tapped them. To accommodate the second person, the Discs were stretched until they looked like short surf boards. Maegella hopped on to her Hover Disc and held out a hand to Ford. Ford swallowed and took her gloved hand, stepping on the floating metal board. Remembering how they were flown to the Blue Guild the previous night, Ford copied Maegella's stance on the Hover Board and—swallowing nervously again—he placed his hands on her shoulders. He felt the strange sensation of his feet locking to the shiny surface of the board.

"You must all remember not to move to the tops of the trees," said Gelvin as he put on a pair of thick glasses like the other Mages; Stan was already behind him, holding on to his shoulders. "Keep close to the ground and hold no conversation unless absolutely necessary. We stop at the edge of the woods before the coast."

Everyone nodded. Maegella turned her head and asked Ford, "Ready?"

Ford nodded. "Ready."

Maegella smiled before looking ahead of her, tapping her staff on the board. She and Ford leaned forward as the Hover Board shot across the banks of the river.

The ride was quite a rush. The cold wind bit into the skin on Ford's face, their cloaks whipping in the air. They followed the path of the river, which Ford learned emptied out into the sea ahead of them. He looked around him, trying to get a glimpse of their travelling companions. He wondered if Stan was okay with this mode of transportation.

The sky started getting lighter as the group reached the end of the woods. Ford could smell the salt from the sea and hear the waves crashing against the shore. He heard Maegella tap the Hover Board, and they started slowing down, stopping a few feet away from the trees. Beyond the trees, they could see the dark gray sands of the beach and the blue-green of the ocean beyond.

They all disembarked from the Hover Boards, and the Mages tapped on them to shrink. Erwan turned to the group and said, "I will go beyond the trees and check if it is safe."

"Thank you, Erwan," said Gelvin, raising his staff in salute. "Be safe in your endeavors, friend."

Erwan nodded and pulled up his green hood before walking through the forest. The rest of the group started to stretch. Stan leaned against a tree and closed his eyes, game for a nap. Wendy and Soos walked closer to the edge of the forest that faced the ocean, curious to see what was out there. Ford decided to follow them, curious to see it as well. The three of them stopped about a foot before the edge of the forest and looked around.

"Hmmm…the sand looks fine, but from up here, it's too far to tell," observed Ford. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Now that's some fresh salt air!"

"Check out those cool rocks over there," said Soos, pointing to a group of large rock formations over by the water. "That would make an awesome setting for a Boss Battle in _Fight Fighters 2: Sequel of Revenge_."

"Woah, what happened there?" asked Wendy, pointing somewhere on her right. Ford looked at where Wendy was pointing and spotted some lumber poking haphazardly out of the water. They seemed to be lined up all the way back to the shore.

"There used to be a dock here," Maegella said softly from behind them. They turned to look at her; Ford looked at her pale face, then down at her hands. She was clutching her staff very tightly. "It led up all the way to the village that—that used to be here."

"What happened to the village?" asked Soos.

"Something terrible," Maegella replied softly. She shook her head and took a step back. "I'm sorry—excuse me."

Before any of them could ask, Maegella turned around and walked away from them. She passed by Gelvin, who stopped her and whispered something to her, but she shook her head and continued to walk away.

Soos, Wendy, and Ford looked at each other in confusion as Gelvin reached them.

"What was that all about?" asked Wendy as Gelvin walked to the edge of the forest and looked around.

Gelvin turned to them and asked, "Did Maegella tell you about her life before she became a member of the Blue Guild?"

"Only that she was raised at an orphanage until she was tested at the age of ten," supplied Ford.

"What he said," added Soos. Wendy nodded in agreement.

"Hmm…" said Gelvin. He looked over their shoulders before continuing, "I was worried for her when I realized where the children have gone off to, knowing that we would pass this place, but she insists that she will be fine."

"Return?" repeated Ford. He looked back at the ruins of the docks.

"This used to be her home," Gelvin said softly. "This was a thriving coastal village many years ago. I actually knew her family, at least from her mother's side. Her father was a fisherman, and her mother was a gifted woman who served as the medicine woman of the village. By all accounts, they were good people and wonderful parents to Maegella. It was a solid, comfortable life—until that terrible day."

"What happened?" asked Ford in a soft voice.

"A powerful earthquake struck," shared Gelvin. "It was felt from this coast all the way back to Rothezar and two of the Guilds. Maegella and her father were alone at their house while her mother was away tending to a patient. After the ground shook, her father noticed that the waters receded. He knew what that meant; he immediately alarmed his neighbors to seek higher ground and took his daughter, fleeing for the hills. When they reached safety, he realized that his wife was nowhere to be found. He immediately left his child in the care of a neighbor and ran back to find her. Moments later, the waters returned, wave upon wave, and destroyed the entire village. Her parents were never seen again."

Soos and Wendy looked mortified. Ford had paled, but his voice was even when he asked, "How did you know all this?"

Gelvin sighed and looked at Ford. "After the waters receded, I joined the other Maesters and Mages and offered our services to the survivors, the only one from the Gray Guild to arrive. The neighbor who took Maegella approached me and asked if I could help to find out what happened to her parents." He looked down at his hands. "She was just a tiny little thing, a child who saw all of four winters and lost so much. I took Maegella's hand and immediately knew that she was all alone in this world."

Ford felt a pang. "Were you the one who took her to the orphanage?" he asked.

Gelvin nodded. "I could not take her to the Gray Guild. It is no place for a small child to grow up in. But I visited her from time to time, up until her magic surfaced and she was brought into the fold of the Blue Guild. I was there when she was tested; I tell you, I was as proud as any father would be of his daughter when she was allowed to choose her staff."

The Maester smiled at this recollection, looking towards the rock formations across the water. Then he looked serious, turning to look behind him before saying, "I need a favor to ask from you."

The three of them looked at each other. Ford turned to Gelvin and said, "What is it?"

The Maester looked at them solemnly. "When the time comes, I need you to promise that you will help me to reach Dipper. I am the reason why Dipper bears the Sigil; it is only fitting that I take this burden from him and become the second volunteer."

 **XXXXX**

Maegella walked a few feet away from the camp to compose herself. She was not aware of the direction she walked until she spotted the rubble between the trees.

There were houses here before. She had a vague recollection of domed houses spaced evenly apart, of neighbors who would stop to bend down and pinch her cheeks, of two faces who once looked at her with loving smiles…

She almost didn't hear the whisper behind her.

"Maegella…"

Maegella gave a start and looked around her, raising her staff. She wiped the tears from her face and hissed, "Who is there?! Reveal yourself!"

"It is I, Maegella," the voice whispered from her left. There was a rustle of leaves, and a broad form in a green cloak stepped out from behind a tree. The figure raised his hand and pulled down the hood, revealing a tanned, handsome face and startlingly light blue eyes. The man smiled at her and raised his staff.

"Welcome back, Maegella," said Darreon.


	21. The Last Chambers

Maegella looked at Darreon, still keeping her staff pointed at him. "How do I know this is not a trick?" she asked him.

Darreon placed his hands and staff behind him and said, "When we were children, we would sneak out of the orphanage at night and head to the great boulder near the boundary to catch a glimpse of the _nimras_ that was spotted days ago. We were up until near-sunrise for four consecutive days, hoping it will appear to us. Mother Cleon eventually caught us sneaking out the door the fifth night and withheld dessert from us for a week as punishment."

Maegella let out a huff of amusement as she lowered her staff. "Greetings, Darreon," she said softly. "I thought you were with the scout group, spying on the Deceiver?"

"We split up to send word immediately to the Guilds," Darreon replied. "I stayed behind to stand watch, and then Erwan told us where you were and—I had to see you."

She looked at him and read the expression in his eyes. "Darreon," sighed Maegella, clutching her staff closely. "This is not the time; you could have been caught by the enemy…"

"Speaking of the enemy, I have news," interjected Darreon, brushing aside Maegella's concern. "More of the Deceiver's henchmen have arrived bearing the other four Sigils. We could see them glow from where we hid among the trees…"

Maegella's eyes widened. "Oh no…"

"That is why we split up to rally the Guilds; we will need reinforcements," Darreon added. "We need to stop them, Maegella." He held out a hand to her. "Come with us; let us sneak into the Last Chambers and…"

"Maegella?"

Darreon's eyes briefly flared at the sound of Gelvin's voice. He looked at Maegella and whispered, "I will see you soon."

"Darreon, wait!" cried Maegella, but Darreon already sprinted away between the trees just as Gelvin and Stan appeared from behind another tree.

"Where did Darreon go?" asked Gelvin, looking around.

"I suppose back at his post," answered Maegella, looking at the place where Darreon disappeared. She looked at them and told them what Darreon shared with her. When she completed her accounting, Stan crossed his arms and said, "Why didn't he stick around to share that with me and Gelvin?"

"Curious," agreed Gelvin, looking back towards the part of the woods where Darreon disappeared to. "Very curious."

"Should we believe that guy?" Stan asked Gelvin.

"There is no reason for Darreon to lie, Stanley," said Maegella. "He hates the Deceiver and wants him defeated as the rest of us do."

"And the information he shared is serious enough to warrant a closer look inside the Last Chambers," murmured Gelvin. He turned around and started walking back to the camp. "We need to regroup."

 **XXXXX**

Back at the camp, they found that Erwan had returned from his excursion. He confirmed that he met up with Darreon earlier and that the information was true: the other four Sigils have been brought to the Last Chambers.

"Mentor Darreon has already sent messengers to the Five Guilds, but who knows how fast they will arrive," said Erwan.

"We cannot wait for them to arrive," said Gelvin. "A lot can happen until then. We need to take initiative now, before Duroc finds someone who can volunteer to bear the Sigil."

"You think he will not volunteer himself?" asked Gerda.

"It is not in his nature," Veron muttered darkly, crossing his slim arms. "He does not have the spine for it. He will try to convince others to become the second volunteer, I am sure of it."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Stan, pulling on the _Teaga_ gloves. "Let's break in!"

 **XXXXX**

The entrance to the Last Chambers was located high on a hill, a good distance away from Maegella's childhood home. The doorway itself was carved into the hill; Gelvin shared that the Last Chambers was constructed underground by the Founders and reinforced by magic. Erwan led the group to a portion of the forest where they could see the side of the hill-entrance. From the side, they could see three black-robed Mages standing guard in front of the doorway.

"They just changed shift," whispered Erwan. "Darreon informs us that the next shift will replace them after a few hours."

"Eh, it won't take that long to replace them NOW," Wendy murmured, cracking her knuckles. Stan and Ford grinned as they followed the redhead through the forest until they reached the back of the hill; there were no guards stationed there. The rest of the group watched from the trees as the trio approached the hill, climbed up on it, and pounced on the unsuspecting Mages below. They all cringed as the Pines brothers and Wendy knocked the sentries out cold in quick order

"It seems the gloves still work," Sandri murmured weakly as Wendy waved at them, signaling that the coast was clear. The rest of the group moved from the protection of the trees and approach the hill.

"Oh no, they're just really badass, dude," Soos explained brightly on the way. "These guys are just lucky Wendy didn't have her ax with her."

Gelvin, Maegella and Gerda raise their staffs; ropes shoot out from the tips and wound themselves around the unconscious sentries on the ground.

While the Mages went to hide the sentries away in the trees, Soos walked up to Stan, Ford and Wendy and looked at the door. "Now that's a big door," he said.

The massive, weather-worn round door looked like it was wedged into the hill. Ford stepped forward and gave it a tentative push; it opened silently inwards.

"Am I the only one weirded out by how quiet this door is?" Wendy whispered, peering down at the stairs. The wide stairwell was brightly lit by luminescent blue rocks embedded in the walls; Ford was reminded of the rocks embedded in the caves of the Healing Springs.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone down there," said Wendy.

"They are probably in the outer sanctum of the Chambers," said Gelvin, approaching the door with the other members of the group. At Wendy's expression, he added, "The tomb of the Founders are in the inner sanctum, the very middle of this complex. Before we can reach that, we need to pass the outer sanctum."

"It's like a donut; the inner sanctum is the hole of the donut!" said Soos brightly. He beamed and looked around at the surprised faces of his companions.

"That—that's a pretty good analogy of the layout of the place," said Ford, grinning at Soos.

"Are we just gonna stand here and talk about donuts? Let's get a move on!" Stan grumbled.

Gelvin nodded; he instructed Gerda, Erwan, Gardo and Minda to stand guard by the door while the rest of them went down to the Chambers. He and the remaining Mages went in first, and the non-Mages followed suit. Soos looked around the blue-tinted walls before looking at Ford and said, "No offense Ford, but how were you able to wear those gloves?"

Ford looked at Soos and raised one of his hands; a bare pinky wiggled out from a hole on the side of the glove. "I borrowed Sandri's knife and made a quick modification here," Ford explained.

"Hehe, that's pretty clever, dawg," said Soos, chuckling softly.

"Hush!" whispered Maegella. "We're near the bottom now."

Beyond the last steps was a large cavernous room with a wide expanse of floor made of some butter-colored stone. Scattered across the length of the room were wide pillars. Across the room, right in the very center it seems, they spotted a great dome that seemed to be made of the same material as the floor.

"The Last Chambers," whispered Sandri in reverence.

"We need to move," Ford whispered. "We're exposed here on the stairs."

Maegella peeked around the left side of the stairs. "I hear people coming this way," she whispered.

"Can't you blast them with some magic?" Stan hissed.

"They'll still be able to sound the alarm," Gelvin muttered.

"Let's go that way, then," murmured Veron, dropping to the floor and heading to the right. The rest of the group followed. They ran swiftly along the curved wall and spotted a round door.

"In here, quickly!" Veron hissed, reaching the door and pushing it open. The Red Mage took a few steps into the room and immediately lost his balance as the rest of the group rushed towards the open door. Nearly half of them tripped over him.

Gelvin was the last to enter the room and immediately closed the door behind him. He looked around the room and gave a small cough.

They all looked up; they seem to have entered what looked like someone's well-lit living room. It had a round stone couch with gray padding, a short round table in front of it, and a shelf filled with scrolls on one side of the wall. Sitting on the couch were two people; the smaller of the two was counting out loud as she opened and closed a paper fortune teller.

"…4, 5, 6, 7," counted Mabel, then she looked in the paper and gave her black-robed seatmate a compassionate look. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Dorinda," she said, patting the woman's hand. "He's really not that into you."

The middle-aged woman with dark hair gasped and started to cry. "I—I should have known!" she wailed, dabbing her eyes. "I thought Lysandros was nice to me because he liked me!"

"MABEL!"

Mabel looked around and spotted the group of people standing in the middle of the room. "Grunkle Ford! Grunkle Stan! Soos, Wendy, Maegella, Maester-guy…you're all here!" cried Mabel, jumping off the couch and running towards them. Ford and Stan whooped with relief as they knelt down to wrap their arms around their great-niece; Soos and Wendy followed suit, hugging the Pineses. The other Mages pointed their staffs at Dorinda, but the woman seemed too upset to pay them any mind.

Dorinda kept on sobbing. "Oh, the sister of the Sigil-holder sees all with her paper-magic! I have been played for a fool!"

"Wait, that's just a…" Wendy started to explain, but Mabel cut her off.

"We do not question the paper fortune teller, Wendy!" Mabel cried out, squeezing through the hugs to wag her finger at Dorinda. "You should forget about guy, Dorinda! Lysandros is a jerk and his name is too long! I saw him flirting with another woman before he started his shift today and I'm _sure_ there are other guys out there who would see you for the lovely woman that you are!"

"Mabel, are you alright?!" said Ford; he waved away the hugs from the others so that he could hold Mabel at arm's length, looking at her from head to foot. "Did they hurt you?"

"No, Grunkle Ford," said Mabel, patting one of Ford's hands on her shoulder. "They treat me well here; some of them seem afraid of me, I think. I just woke up today and found myself in this weird room. Dorinda has been really nice to me, but she's not telling me where Dipper is!"

Veron approached Dorinda at staff-point and quietly asked, "Where is the Sigil-holder, Guild-sister?"

Dorinda hiccupped and replied, "The great Sigil-holder has entered the Inner Sanctum after Lord Duroc arrived last night. I do not know what goes on in there; only Lord Duroc goes in and out."

Maegella raised an eyebrow. "Really? What is he waiting for?"

"For a volunteer, my dear," said a nasal voice behind them.

They turned around, staffs aimed at the doorway. The thin, black-robed man standing there had a long face with wide, manic eyes and a thin moustache under a large nose, his gray hair tied into a long braid. He stepped aside to show them Gerda, Erwan, Gardo and Minda kneeling on the floor beyond and bound by ropes. Six black-robed Mages stood behind them, pointing their staffs at the hostages. Dorinda yelped and hid behind Veron, while Mabel was pushed behind the adults.

"We do not want violence within this sacred space," said Duroc, looking at everyone in the room. "But if it will come down to it, these four will be the first to go."

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** The Red Mages wear red cloaks, but their staffs are brown or black. There is a reason for this, which I'll try to find an opening to explain in future chapters.


	22. The Outer Sanctum

"Fiend!" Gelvin growled, his amiable face contorted into a scowl and his staff held stiffly. "Is there no limit to your quest for power?!"

"Power?" Duroc repeated, shaking his head. "My good Maester, I did not do all this for power! I am doing this to save our people."

"By kidnapping Mages and draining them of their essence in order to find the Sigils?!" Maegella spat out. Ford looked at her in surprise; he had never seen Maegella look this pissed off before.

"Keep quiet, you silly woman! You know nothing of…"

"You shut up, you knucklehead!" Ford snapped, scowling and raising his fists in Duroc's direction.

The Deceiver's nostrils flared. He pointed a brown staff towards Ford and snarled, "Who are you to insult me?!"

"My brother, the nerd who can kick your ugly heiney," Stan growled, raising his fists as well. "Give us back our nephew and we won't break your face too much!"

"You think it is that simple?" Duroc sneered. "It is too late, there is no stopping this NOW. The Pendulum-bearer is in the Inner Sanctum with the other Sigils, waiting for a volunteer!"

"Then why don't YOU volunteer, if you want to save your people?" Wendy growled.

"I—I am an elected leader," said Duroc, puffing up his skinny chest.

"You are a coward, Duroc," Veron muttered, shaking his grizzled head. "You love your position more and now you dare to take more power for yourself!"

"How dare you, Veron," Duroc hissed, raising a brown staff and pointing it at Veron.

Veron just gave a derisive laugh. "I dare because it is the truth. I have known you since we were young lads at the Red Guild; the moment you encounter a situation that requires some kind of sacrifice that does not benefit you in any way, you balk and leave. You have made many mistakes, but pretending that a danger that warrants the search for the Sigils? That is too much, you fool!"

One of the black-robed Mages standing behind Gardo bristled and aimed his staff through the door. "How dare you insult our Leader—AIEEEEE!"

The man started screaming in a high pitch when the ground shook and he started sinking into the solid floor. The group inside the room gasped; the four hostages and the other black-robed Mages started moving away from the unfortunate Mage, who was already chest-deep into the floor when a piping voice inside the room spoke up.

"DIPPER YOU HAVE TO STOP!" Mabel shrieked. "I think he's going to behave now!"

The ground stopped shaking just as the Mage's chin was touching the floor. The black-robed Mages started edging away from the spot where their comrade was whimpering.

"Thank you, little Miss," he squeaked from the floor.

"Seems like Dipper still listens to ya, Pumpkin," murmured Stan, putting a hand on Mabel's shoulder.

"Dipper can sense us from within the Inner Sanctum," Gelvin murmured. "But we cannot aggravate him too much; the more he uses magic, the more danger he is in!"

"That is why he is inside the Inner Sanctum," muttered Duroc, looking around him nervously. "The rock used to entomb the Founders is from the caves of Beleger, the same material that makes up the Containing Stones of the Sigils. Something in the material is helping the Sigil-holder, but just barely. I cannot explain it! There is something in the rock!"

At that, Ford perked up.

"Wait—are you serious?" he asked Duroc.

"Of course I am serious," said Duroc, sounding offended. "Who are you to question my-?"

"Gelvin, can we use the material in the Inner Sanctum to get the Sigil off Dipper?" Ford asked the Maester, paying no attention to Duroc.

"That—that could work," said Gelvin slowly. "I need to be close to Dipper to make the transfer—and we'll need someone to cut the rock from…"

"No you will not!" Duroc screeched. "We need a volunteer to take the Sigil from the boy and activate the Guardian!"

"I want no part in this!" cried Dorinda at the back, turning around to sit on the couch. "I only joined Lord Duroc out of peer pressure!"

"This is not up for debate, you power-hungry idiot!" Ford shouted, pointing his finger at Duroc. "We're getting that thing off my nephew without anyone giving up their life! And before we get back to our dimension, I'm going to knock that stupid beard off your face with my fist!"

"And I'll help you break his face!" yelled Stan, taking a boxer's stance.

"You are still outnumbered," Duroc snarled, raising his staff in an offensive position. His Mages did the same behind him. "And you are cornered in this room! We have the upper—"

" _Tula sinome!_ "

Duroc's five standing hench-Mages were knocked off their feet as Gerda, Erwan, Gardo and Minda were zipped away by an invisible force into the Outer Sanctum.

Someone shouted, "FOR ROTHEZAR!"

The Outer Sanctum was suddenly filled with the sounds of zapping; lights of different colors went off around the pillars. Duroc screamed and jumped out of the way before a red light hit the doorway. Gelvin, Veron, Maegella and Sandri yelled and charged out the door, leaving behind the non-Mages and Dorinda in the room.

Stan turned to Mabel. "You stay here, kiddo! We're going in to rescue your brother!"

"You're not leaving me here! I want to help!" Mabel cried, lifting the grappling hook from inside her sweater. "Dipper needs me!"

"You can stick with me, Mabel!" said Wendy. "Girl-power!"

"Fine! You two stay here," Ford growled. "It's too dangerous out there; you could get hit by spells! This is not up for debate," he added, giving his niece such a stern look, Mabel could only pout and cross her arms.

"Fine. But if the fighting gets in here, I'm kicking butt," she said ominously, raising her grappling hook.

"Fair enough," said Ford. He bent over to hug his niece. Stan glared at his brother before he gave his niece a hug too. The two brothers squared their shoulders and let out a war cry, running out the door into the melee and avoiding the unfortunate man still sunk into the floor of the Outer Sanctum.

"WE'RE COMING FOR YOU, DIPPER!" Soos yelled, running out of the door with his gloved hands raised over his head.

They entered a hazy warzone. The air was thick with clouds of different colors from the glass-ball smoke bombs and the sounds of zapping and yelling.

"We need to get to the Inner Sanctum!" Ford yelled, coughing as he inhaled a mouthful of the smoke.

"Sure thing, Pointdexter," Stan coughed beside him. "Which way to the—AAAAAAAAARGH!"

Ford whipped around just in time to see his twin being yanked out of sight into the smoky gloom, his yells getting faint as he was taken away.

" _STAN!_ "

 **XXXXX**

Stan yelled as an invisible force pulled him to the other side of the Outer Sanctum. He whizzed past bewildered Mages and had close calls with several pillars, turning sharply before he collided with them. After several moments, the force yanked him upwards by his feet; he dangled upside-down behind a large pillar, far from the fighting in the middle of the Sanctum. Once Stan was sure that he wasn't going anywhere, he started wiggling around.

"You came back," said a harsh voice.

"Came back? Buddy, I don't know what you're talkin' about; this is my first time here and I'm sure I haven't been banned from this place before," Stan muttered, trying to move his head in order to see the perp who tried to kidnap him. He stopped doing that when he started feeling the blood rushing to his brain.

"Do not pretend ignorance!" hissed the voice. Stan grunted as he felt a sharp prod between his shoulder blades. "I thought I made it clear that you were not wanted here in Rothezar, and yet you came back!"

"Ow! Seriously pal, you got the wrong guy!" Stan growled. Through the light-headedness that he was now experiencing, he started getting angry. Something that Ford shared back in the _Stan O' War II_ started to come back to him. "Why don't you take a good look at me and see for yourself?"

"Your lies will not fly with me, Stanford Pines," the voice snarled. "After today, you will never—"

The next thing Stan knew, he was lying down on the ground, his head feeling less fuzzy. He was only aware that a fight was happening close by when he heard a grunt of pain and a familiar voice shouting, "If you harmed my brother in any way, I'm going to take your staff and shove it up where the sun doesn't…"

"Grunkle Ford!" yelped another familiar voice to Stan's left.

"Ford, don't threaten him yet until I get a chance to let him have it," Stan grumbled. He felt a set of hands wrap around each of his upper arms and assisted him in carefully standing up; he looked around and spotted Wendy and Mabel by his side.

"I dunno if we should let you near this guy; between the two of you, there might not be anything left for the justice system here to deal with," said Wendy, looking to one side. Stan turned to where Wendy was looking and spotted Ford, Gelvin and Erwan looking down on the man sprawled on the ground next to a moss-green staff. He wore black robes; where the robes were hitched up, dark green pants were visible. The stranger's hood was down, exposing the back of a black-haired head on top of wide shoulders. Stan stalked over to where his brother and the Mages stood to get a good look at the perp who kidnapped him.

The man rubbed his jaw where Ford had punched him, looking balefully up at them with light blue eyes on a tanned, handsome face. Gelvin looked at this man and shook his head.

"So the truth comes out," he said grimly. "Darreon's sins has come to light after threatening the wrong Pines brother."

"Twins!" Darreon spat, looking between Ford and Stan with a mixture of rage and horror. "I am truly cursed if I am to look upon that hated face twice!"

"I tried to tell you, you idiot," Stan growled, taking a step forward, his fists raised. "I oughta…"

"Wait!" cried Mabel, running in front of her Grunkles. "Who is he and what did he do?"

"I too would like answers," said Erwan, looking confused and uncomfortable at the scene before him. "If I had not seen for myself the threat you held upon Stanley Pines…" He stopped and shook his head, unable to continue that thought.

"His name is Darreon, a Mentor from the Green Guild," said Gelvin, answering Mabel's questions. "He met your Great-Uncle Stanford after being introduced by Maegella twenty years ago. His kidnapping of your Great-Uncle Stanley today proves that he is complicit in Stanford's forced eviction from Rothezar, but let me make certain…"

"No!" Darreon cried, but he didn't move fast enough to avoid the Maester, who reached down to touch his shoulder and closed his eyes. Darreon tried to shake off Gelvin's hold, but he held still when he spotted Stan and Ford raising their _Teaga_ gloves threateningly and Erwan pointing his staff at him. After a few moments, Gelvin opened his eyes and let go of Darreon, looking at the latter with a disappointed expression.

"So, it was _you_ who froze Stanford and forced him into the gateway all those years ago," Gelvin said, staring hard at Darreon. "And you caused a lot of trouble to make it happen, too. You went and scared that _lobros_ into stampeding through the Market, causing so much grief and injury; it kept all the Blue Mages at work in the Healing Springs for over a week. You then went to grounds and hit young Andreas with a concoction that made him susceptible to your whims, ordering him to give Stanford that fake scroll from Thrum and leading him away from the Guild." He shook his head and looked sadly at the sullen man in front of him. "You were so resolute in keeping this a secret, you made sure never to see me or any Gray Mage. You even had Andreas captured by the Deceiver's men after Maegella went after Worgel!"

"Why did you do it?" Ford asked, looking at Darreon in confusion. "Was it because you thought I was an agent of Bill Cipher?"

"To keep you away from her," Darreon hissed.

Ford did not expect that response. " _What?_ "

Darreon gave Ford a derisive look. "Do not play the fool with me, Stanford Pines! Maegella was fond of you, I saw it on her face that day she introduced you to me! How she defended your innocence when I suggested that you were in the demon's thrall! Who are you to steal her affections from me, when I have loved her since we were children growing up in the orphanage?!"

Ford's jaw dropped.

"Yikes," Stan muttered.

Gelvin gave Darreon a pained look. "Darreon, how many times do I have to tell you? She loves you, but as a sister loves her brother!"

"Oof…brother-zoned," murmured Wendy.

"Yikes," agreed Mabel, rubbing her arm.

"LIES!" yelled Darreon, jumping up to his feet. Before he could do anything else, Stan moved forward and socked him in the face. Darreon was out cold before he hit the floor.

"That was for me and my brother!" Stan grouched, shaking his hand. He turned around and looked at Ford. "You okay there, Ford?"

Ford was staring in space, his jaw still dropped open. "She was fond—she liked me?" he murmured.

"Oy," Stan grumbled, shaking his head. "World's dumbest genius… _of course she likes you_! Everyone back on Earth saw that she likes you!"

"And _I_ saw that you like her!" Mabel piped up, giving Ford a playful punch on the part of the arm that she could reach.

" _Soos_ knows that you two like each other!" Stan said, wrapping his arm around Ford to give him an affectionate noogie. Ford gave a nervous laugh.

"Am I going to have a _Grauntie_?!" asked Mabel in excitement.

 **CRASH!**

The sound jolted everyone back to reality. They turned around and spotted the source of the sound: one of the pillars near the Inner Sanctum dome had collapsed. The two sets of fighting Mages have moved the battle closer to the dome. From this side of the complex, they could see an opening into the Inner Sanctum.

Gelvin paled. "We need to get to the Inner Sanctum at once!" he yelled and sprinted off at once. The rest of them followed the Maester. As they approached, Ford's eyes were drawn to a familiar flash of red hair. Maegella moved quickly, deflecting and avoiding spells that were aimed at her and immediately shooting blue-colored bolts from her staff.

Ford thought she was amazing.

Ford also thought that she was standing too close to the doorway…

"We have to get her away from there!" cried Gelvin, as though he could read Ford's thoughts. Ford looked at the Maester; the older man looked terrified. Gelvin continued running towards the dome, clearing a path to the doorway with a wave of his staff that made Mages in the way lose their balance.

"Why? What happens if she enters the Inner Sanctum?!" Ford asked loudly, jumping over the legs of the fallen Mages, but Gelvin did not seem to hear him; he was too hell-bent on reaching the doorway as fast as humanly possible. Whatever was scaring the old man was making Ford nervous. He focused his sights on Maegella, who was now sparring with a black-robed Mage. She dodged the spell that was aimed for her head and retaliated with a spell that knocked out her opponent. Just as the body crumpled to the ground, another body went hurtling in her direction.

It seemed like everything slowed down. The large, blue-robed body collided with Maegella, the force sending the two of them tumbling inside the Inner Sanctum. Just as they disappeared, the large stone doors began to swing shut on their own.

"NO!" Gelvin screamed, swinging his staff once more. The action sent people flying down on their backsides, but even with the path clear, Ford knew that they were not going to make it. By the time they reached the dome, the doors swung shut with a crash.


	23. The Inner Sanctum

**Author's Note** : Bit of spoiler warning for Journal 3. Tread with caution.

ZKHUH WKH YROXQWHHU VWHSV IRUZDUG.

 **XXXXX**

Maegella groaned, lifting herself up on her elbows and shaking her head. She determined that she had no broken bones before carefully sitting up and looking around in the well-lit, stuffy space. Something about the place made her feel nervous. Her staff was lying a few feet away to her left; to her right was a large form dressed in blue robes. She recognized the back of this man's head…

"Soos!" she cried, scrambling haphazardly towards the prone figure. "Please tell me you are unharmed!" she said, gently pulling him until he was lying on his back. To her relief, Soos responded by groaning and blinking his eyes.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily. "Am I in Heaven?" He looked at Maegella. "Are you an _angel_? You sure look like a Mage I know back in Rothezar!"

Despite herself, Maegella chuckled. "You are still among the living, Soos," she said gently. "Are you hurt?"

Soos pondered that for a moment, looking upwards and sticking his tongue out. He then shook his head and said, "Well, I'm sure my butt isn't broken. How about you? Are you okay?"

"I am fine," assured Maegella. She stood up to walk towards her staff. After picking it up, she turned and looked around. Soos stood up slowly when he saw her face turn pale.

"What's wrong, Maegella?" he asked, reaching her side. He turned to look and raised his hands up, just the way Stan taught him when he was a kid. When he realized what he was looking at, Soos dropped his hands and his jaw.

"WHOA."

 **XXXXX**

Ford and Gelvin threw themselves at the door and started pushing at it. The doors would not budge.

"Why did the doors close?!" Ford shouted. "Maegella! Maegella, can you hear me!"

"Where's Soos?!" yelled Stan, looking around the Outer Sanctum as the Mages started to rise from the ground. "SOOS!"

"Stand aside, Stanford!" Gelvin yelled, stepping a few paces back. Ford immediately complied and jumped out of the way just as Gelvin started muttering some complex incantation. The Maester's eyes glowed briefly white before he swung his gray staff downwards, releasing a white bolt from his staff which hit the doors. The blast illuminated the room, blinding anyone who had their eyes opened. When the light died down and their eyes adjusted, they looked at the door; it didn't seem to have been scratched by the powerful spell.

"No," Gelvin whispered, turning pale. "It is going to happen. I saw this but I have failed. I have failed…"

Ford walked over to the Maester and grabbed his shoulders. "What's going on, Gelvin?" Ford demanded. "Why did the doors close in on them when they crossed the doorway?!"

"It knew—or _he_ knew," Gelvin whimpered. "It is the only explanation…"

"The only explanation of _what_?" demanded Ford.

"It knew that a Mage has arrived who will volunteer willingly," whispered Gelvin. The Maester looked helplessly at Ford with tear-filled blue eyes. "I saw this but I have failed!"

Ford stared at him, then ran back to the large doors and started banging his fists on the stone.

 **XXXXX**

"We are inside the Inner Sanctum," Maegella whispered. "The Founders…"

Soos looked up and slowly turned, drinking up the sight around them. They were surrounded by five gray statues, spaced evenly apart and arranged in a circle. The one closest to them was a man with a long beard, standing in a small circle of water. Soos estimated that the statue was over ten feet tall.

"The Founder of the Blue Guild," Maegella whispered reverently. She pointed to the statue of the woman next to him wearing a crown of stone flowers. "She founded the Green Guild."

"She reminds me of my old homeroom teacher," observed Soos, referring to the statue of a stern-looking woman on the other side of the male statue. This woman held a set of scales. "I think there are statues of her back home, except that she's not wearing a blindfold."

"She founded the Gray Guild," said Maegella. "It is tradition to send our disputes to the Gray Guild, as their ability to see the past is quite useful in settling them." She turned to the statue beside the Green Guild Founder. "And here is the Founder of the Yellow Guild."

Soos turned to see Maegella pointing at the statue of a rather good-looking, beardless man; on his raised arm was what looked like a dragon. Soos wondered if all the dragons in this dimension were just arm-sized…

"Wait a minute: Blue, Green, Gray and Yellow," muttered Soos, ticking them off on his fingers. "Then that must mean that the Founder of the Red Guild is…"

"The Disgraced One," said Maegella. Soos turned to look at the fifth statue. This one gave him chills; whoever carved this statue must have been exceptionally talented, as they have managed to realistically carve the draping of cloth over someone's standing form. Where this person's forehead should be, the Pendulum was carved on it and painted white. At the foot of this statue, floating vertically in the air, was Dipper. They could see the Pendulum glowing on his forehead, just like the four stones circling around him like planets around a sun.

"Dipper!" they cried, running towards him. About two feet away from him, they collided with something and bounced away, landing painfully on the butter-colored floor.

 **GREETINGS** _._

Soos and Maegella stiffened. They looked around and spotted the translucent figure standing in the middle of the Inner Sanctum.

" _Dipper_?"

 **XXXXX**

Stan reached over and yanked his brother away from the doors.

"Damn it Ford, stop that!" he growled, tightening his hold on his brother's midsection when Ford started struggling. "You're gonna hurt yourself!"

Ford stopped struggling. "What can we do, Stan?" he asked. "How can we save her from becoming the next volunteer?!"

"Here!" someone shouted before Stan could reply. Everyone turned around and saw Veron walking towards them. Behind him, magically immobilized and floating, was Duroc the Deceiver. "I caught this coward before he took twenty paces away from the doors!"

"Let me go!" Duroc said through gritted teeth. Veron complied by swinging his brown staff in an arc and muttering a spell, sending Duroc rolling across the floor until he stopped at the feet of Gelvin and Ford. Ford swooped down and grabbed the Deceiver by the lapels of his robe and yanking the skinny Mage off the floor.

"Start talking," Ford growled. "How do we open these doors?!"

 **XXXXX**

Soos peered at the vision in front of them. It looked and dressed like Dipper had before he and Mabel left Gravity Falls, except for being semi-transparent and the blue-and-white hat had a number "2" on it instead of the pine tree.

"This is a trick, isn't it?" asked Soos, narrowing his eyes at the specter. "Dipper didn't wear that hat."

 **HE DID NOT** , agreed the doppelganger. **I LOOKED INTO HIS MEMORIES AND TOOK THE FORM OF THE CLONE HE CREATED WHILE YOU WERE DJ-ING AT STAN'S PARTY.**

"Uh—huh, I don't seem to remember that…" Soos muttered, frowning.

"Who are you, then?" whispered Maegella.

 **I? I AM DIPPER—NO. MY NAME IS MASON…NO, THAT IS NOT MY NAME EITHER. I—I NO LONGER RECALL** , he said, screwing his face up while trying to remember. He turned his eyes towards the covered statue behind them. **I WHO ATONED BY GIVING MYSELF UP, AND WHOSE NAME NO ONE REMEMBERS, NOT EVEN MYSELF.** He looked at the other four statues, and bitterness twisted his features. **AT LEAST EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT** ** _THEY_** **LOOKED LIKE IN LIFE,** he said, and then he looked sad. **EVEN I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I LOOKED LIKE BEFORE.**

"That's awful, dude," said Soos, who now looked sad, too.

Maegella looked at him sadly. "I am so sorry," she said sympathetically. She swallowed and pushed through with "I do not mean rudeness, but could you let us take Dipper from this place? We will help him _and_ you…"

 **IT IS TOO LATE.**

Maegella and Soos stared at him. He looked like he didn't like the truth he was sharing.

"Why?" she asked.

He scowled. **THE FOOL HAS DOOMED OUR WORLD** , he snarled, pointing at the great double-doors behind him. **AFTER EVERYTHING I SACRIFICED ALL THOSE YEARS AGO, THAT IDIOT** ** _SUMMONED_** **THEM. THEY ARE COMING.**

" _They_?" whispered Maegella. "Who are _they_?"

In reply, the Disgraced One knelt down and touched the floor. What looked like a mirror started to appear where his fingertip touched it, growing larger and making Soos and Maegella step back until it was roughly half the circumference of the Bottomless Pit behind the Shack. The surface of this "mirror" showed a blue and green planet; Soos noticed that there was more blue than green. The view switched from the planet to outer space. It didn't just show space.

Maegella gasped. "No…"

 **XXXXX**

"You have doomed us all."

Duroc flinched at Gelvin's words, uttered quietly and laden with such disgust. After pulling him away from Ford, Sandri summoned ropes to bind Duroc while the other Mages rounded up Duroc's compatriots and confiscated their staffs. Gelvin then approached Duroc and grasped his forearm. As the minutes ticked by, his face showed his reaction to whatever he was seeing: first it was horror, then it was rage.

"You summoned the same beings that attacked our world before!" Gelvin growled, letting Duroc go and straightening up. The Rothezarians gasped; Duroc's followers looked at each other in disbelief.

"How—how can this be?" cried one of them. He looked at Duroc as though he saw him for the first time.

Gelvin turned to the assembled people around him. "I saw this: fourteen years ago, he went on a quest to contact life on other planets. Somehow, he hailed the same planet from where the otherworld crafts came from thousands of years and provoked them by reminding them of their defeat on our plane of existence! He provoked them enough that they told him they were coming back here to finish the job. He never told anyone about this, not even warning the Five Guilds. With delusions of grandeur, Duroc decided to learn where the Sigils and Mek-Death were hidden and use them to stop the invasion, as it was done before. He used trickery to win the seat of Leadership in Rothezar. The excuse to prepare Rothezar for an invasion was a partial truth, as he was the cause of it!"

"You have doomed us all, you idiot!" Veron snarled, reaching over to smack Duroc on the back of his head.

"Ouch! I have tried to atone by preparing us for the invasion…" Duroc said weakly.

"Which you instigated!" Ford shouted. "I agree with Veron: you're an idiot!"

"Uh, when are they coming here, exactly?" asked Wendy.

Gelvin closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "In an hour or so. They are already hovering over our world as we speak."

"Fourteen years precisely," Ford muttered.

This made everyone quiet. Mabel clapped her hands to her mouth and hugged Stan's leg. Stan placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"He lied to us," cried one of Duroc's followers.

"He really is the Deceiver," murmured another follower.

Another follower turned to look at Sandri. "I cannot speak for the rest, but I for one have lost faith with him," he growled as he started to remove the black cloak, exposing his yellow clothing. He threw the cloak down as the rest of this companions started removing their own black cloaks. "What can I do to help?"

"How about blasting these doors down?" Stan suggested.

 **XXXXX**

"It is happening again?" asked Maegella, looking horrified at the gigantic spacecraft in the mirror. "Duroc brought them _here_?!"

"It can't be that scary; it's just one spacecraft," said Soos in a conciliatory tone.

 **IT IS A BATTLESHIP CRUISER THAT CAN HOLD OVER FIVE THOUSAND SMALLER SHIPS. IT IS A HEAVILY ARMED FLYING FORTRESS; THERE IS A WEAPON ON-BOARD THAT CAN DECIMATE LIFE ON THIS PLANE OF EXISTENCE. WE MUST NOT LET THAT SHIP LAND ON ROTHEZAR.**

"I…I spoke too soon," Soos whimpered. "What do we do?!"

 **THEY SEEM TO HAVE STREAMLINED THEIR WEAPONS OF WAR. IN MY DAY, THE CIPHER SENT A FLEET OF TWELVE SMALLER BATTLESHIPS TO "ASSIST" ME IN BUILDING THE PORTAL,** said the doppelganger. He shook his head. **IT TOOK ME OVER TWELVE YEARS TO BUILD THE PORTAL ON MY OWN BEFORE MY FELLOWS DISCOVERED MY SECRET AND STOPPED ME. WHEN THE PORTAL WAS DESTROYED, CIPHER ORDERED THE FLEET TO ATTACK OUR WORLD. HUH, I COULD REMEMBER THAT, BUT NOT MY NAME OR FACE…**

The entity looked at Maegella and took off his cap; on his forehead, the Pendulum Sigil glowed.

 **I DO NOT WANT TO HARM DIPPER; I SAW HIM GROW UP AND FELT A KINSHIP WITH HIM EVEN THOUGH HE WAS NOT AWARE OF MY PRESENCE UNTIL RECENTLY. I FELT HIM GROW WEAKER WHEN DUROC RESUMED SUMMONING THE PENDULUM USING THE OTHER FOUR SIGILS. THAT IS WHY I BROUGHT HIM HERE. THE ROCK OF BELEGER HAS A PROPERTY THAT CAN CONTAIN MAGIC, WHICH IS WHAT THE SIGILS ARE.** The entity looked back at Dipper with worry. **BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH. DANGER IS COMING…**

He looked back at Maegella. She held his gaze, then looked at the image in the mirror and towards the real Dipper floating in the air.

 **YOU KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.**

Maegella did not respond, but something on her face made Soos reach out and grab her hands.

"Maegella no!" he cried, turning her to face him. His eyes were wide and pleading. "Please, we have to wait for Gelvin!"

"There is no time, Soos," she whispered. "Dipper is suffering and the enemy comes closer."

"But what about you?!" Soos whimpered. "You're important too! And what about—what about _Ford_?!"

Maegella blinked at the mention of Ford. Soos felt a surge of hope well up in him…

 **WILL HE STAY HERE FOR YOU? STANFORD PINES HAS FOUND HIS WAY HOME AND RECONCILED WITH HIS FAMILY.**

Soos narrowed his eyes at the transparent boy. "Don't listen to him, Maegella…"

 **YOU WILL HAVE HIM BREAK AWAY FROM STANLEY, WHO HAS SPENT THIRTY YEARS OF HIS LIFE TRYING TO BRING HIM BACK TO THEIR PLANE OF EXISTENCE? WILL HE FORGIVE YOU IF YOU CHOSE HIM INSTEAD OF SAVING HIS NEPHEW?**

"No, it's not going to be like that!" Soos shouted.

 **WILL YOU BREAK UP THE PINES FAMILY, JUST AS YOUR FAMILY WAS BROKEN ALL THOSE YEARS AGO?**

"No," murmured Maegella. She broke away from Soos' grip and walked a few paces towards Dipper. From where she stood, she could see his chest rise and fall. His face was so pale…

Maegella turned around and stood in front of Soos; she looked at him and cupped his face into her hands.

"Soos, listen to me," she said slowly. "When this is over, take Dipper to the Healing Springs as fast as you are able…"

Soos felt like a large ice cube slid down to his gut. "Maegella, please!"

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his forehead. The young man felt a sense of déjà vu hit him; someone other than Abuelita kissing him on the forehead like this before…

"Thank you for everything you have done: your hospitality, your friendship. It means so much to me…"

Maegella let him go and waved her staff over Soos before he could react. He tried to follow her, but he realized that he could not move. Soos could only watch helplessly as Maegella wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks and stood in front of the transparent Dipper.

She looked at Soos and said, "Tell them I said goodbye..."

 **XXXXX**

"Again!" Veron shouted. "Hit it with everything you have!"

Twenty-five staffs were aimed at the large stone doors; at Veron's signal, all the Mages shouted a spell. A blast of white issued from each staff and connected at the large stone doors. Standing a safe distance behind the Mages, the non-Mages shielded their eyes from the blast.

"Why isn't this working, Ford?" asked Stan. "This is the third time they hit those doors with magic!"

"Something more powerful must be protecting the doors," Ford muttered. He and Stan stood in front of Wendy and Mabel with their backs to the doors.

"STOP!"

The light ebbed away, but not completely. They turned around to see what was happening. Nearly all of the Mages started backing away from the double-doors; light was coming out from the seams.

"What's happening?" yelled Mabel.

"No," Ford whispered as he ran to the double-doors. "No!"

He ran and stopped beside Gelvin, who went down on his knees. They jumped when the great doors opened wide. Ford started running towards the doors.

"Ford, wait!" Stan called out, but Ford didn't pay attention, he was too intent on reaching the Inner Sanctum. He spotted at least two people in the middle of the room with five statues: Soos was kneeling to one side while Maegella had her back to him. She was bent over something in front of one of the statues.

"Maegella, Soos!" Ford called out. Relief washed over him; he felt the vice around his gut relax as he approached them. _The thing Gelvin dreaded didn't happen_ , he thought. "We were so worried! Are you both alright?"

He passed one of the statues when he finally heard the sobs. Soos produced the same heart-rending blubbering he made after Stan's mind was wiped clean. Maegella stood up; Ford saw a pair of legs in blue pajamas sticking out from Maegella's right.

"Dipper! Is he okay? What happened?!"

No one answered him. Ford stopped a few feet away from them. He looked at Soos: the man's large hands covered his mouth as he looked at Maegella with wide, tearful eyes. Maegella did not seem to register that Ford was there or that she heard him. Soos raised his arms as Maegella approached him to take Dipper. Before she handed him to Soos, Maegella, bent her head and kissed him on the forehead.

As Maegella handed Dipper over to Soos, Ford took a tentative step forward and froze. He literally froze in mid-step; he could not move. Behind him, he heard the footsteps of many people approach.

"Maegella, Soos, what's going on?" Ford muttered through gritted teeth.

Soos looked at Ford; his round face was drenched in tears. Some of them hit Dipper's pale face. "Ford, I-I'm sorry. I tried to stop her…"

"No…" Ford whispered as Maegella turned around to face him. "No, no, no…"

Maegella's eyes were glowing white. On her forehead, the Pendulum Sigil glowed just as white. Ford could hear a collective gasp behind him as Maegella started walking towards him. With each step she took, her blue robes started to change color, a shiny silver finish spreading from her chest to the rest of her clothes. When she stood in front of him, she opened her mouth, but it was not her own voice that issued from it.

 **IT IS DONE, STANFORD PINES. THE ENEMY IS AT OUR GATES, AND MAEGELLA HAS VOLUNTEERED TO SAVE ROTHEZAR.**

She stepped back and raised her hands. From one side, the blue staff zoomed towards her and she grasped it in one hand. She raised it up in the air. Ford was not sure what she was waiting for until the sparks and smoke began to issue from the place where her hand held the staff.

 **SHE WILL NO LONGER NEED THIS.**

Ford could only look in shock as the blue staff caught fire. Maegella dropped the staff amidst the wordless cries of horror from the Mages behind him.


	24. The Guardian Revealed

Maegella ignored the outcry from the Mages and raised her arms to the side. From the foot of the statues where she picked up Dipper, four round stones with glowing symbols flew towards her and began to revolve around her just as she started to levitate.

She looked down at her hands, opening and closing them. The being possessing her seemed to marvel at being able to do so. **IT HAS BEEN SO LONG** , she murmured in that haunting voice. **AH, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REGULAR HUMAN AND A MAGE...THE MAGIC FLOWS MORE FREELY IN THIS BODY!**

For a moment, Ford thought that she was going to smile.

"Release her!"

Maegella dropped her hands and looked at a point behind Ford.

"Gelvin?" Ford muttered. He still couldn't move, locked into place by the entity's enchantment.

Behind him, Gelvin declared in a booming voice: "I am a Maester of the Gray Guild, at the peak of his powers and training! I beg of you, release Maegella and let me take her place!"

"And free my brother while you're at it!" Stan yelled.

"Stan, stay back!" shouted Ford; he could imagine his brother running towards the danger. In front of him, Maegella frowned and raised an arm; behind him, he heard Gelvin and Stan yelling.

"Put them down!" Mabel cried out. "Wendy, let me go!"

"Mabel, no!" ordered Wendy.

 **I WILL NOT HURT THEM, MABEL** , assured the possessed Maegella; the frown on her face seem to soften when she addressed the girl. She turned around, her arm still raised. Ford spotted Gelvin and Stan moving in an arc towards the far end of the Sanctum. **I MADE A PROMISE TO HER THAT NONE OF YOU WOULD BE HURT.**

As she set the two men down on the ground, Ford spotted a flash of bright red. Wendy had run past him and jumped up to grab Maegella's feet. At the contact, Maegella stiffened and let out a shout, mingling with Wendy's yells.

Ford's legs buckled and he collapsed on the floor. He realized that he could move again. He sat up stiffly and found that Maegella had managed to break free from Wendy's grasp, moving the girl several feet away from her with magic. The possessed Mage was standing on the floor breathing hard, the normally calm face twisted in fury at the teenager's action. She levitated Wendy in the air; with a sweep of her hand, she had Wendy hooked on the outstretched hand of one of the statues.

"Put me down!" Wendy roared.

 **NO!** Maegella snarled, turning to see that Minda and Gardo—the other non-Mages—running in with their gloved hands raised. She began to rise in the air again. **THERE IS NO TIME FOR THIS FOOLISHNESS!** **STAND ASIDE!**

She made a grand sweeping gesture, knocking everyone off their feet. Ford felt something push him back down on the floor. Maegella leaned forward and flew out through the door.

"Maegella…" Ford whispered, turning around to push himself up, looking at the doors where she made her exit.

 _Because the Disgraced One did not die…was consumed and bonded with the Sigil…_

 _Maegella was fond of you…Who are you to steal her affections from me?!_

Ford closed his eyes.

"Dipper?"

Ford was jolted by Mabel's voice, sounding plaintive and scared. He shook his head and turned to find that Mabel had approached Soos, who still cradled her twin brother in his arms. She knelt down next to the large man and touched Dipper's face. On the other side of the Sanctum, Stan ran up to them while Gelvin assisted Wendy. Ford stood up and jogged towards them. Dipper was still unconscious.

"W-why isn't he waking up?" asked Mabel in a shaking voice.

"I-I don't kn-know dude," Soos whimpered. Ford knelt down next to his niece and leaned over to press two fingers on the side of Dipper's neck. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the faint pulse, then wrapped an arm around his disconsolate niece.

"He's unconscious," he said softly to Mabel. "We just need to take him to…"

"M-Maegella told me to t-take him b-back t-to the S-Springs a-after doing the th-thing," Soos interrupted. "Th-that fake Dipper, he told her th-things. He pl-played dirty…"

"Let us assist you, Soos," said a deep voice. They turned around and saw Sandri and Sofi standing nearby. "We will take him directly to the Springs," said Sandri. He turned to look at Ford. "We also need to warn the Maesters of the danger…"

"Take Wendy with you as well," said Gelvin grimly. They looked and saw the Maester leading Wendy to the group; the girl held her ungloved hands close to herself, and she was grimacing in pain. "She burned her hands trying to get a hold of Maegella."

"I thought it would work," Wendy groaned while Sandri called for another Blue Mage. Sofi approached her and took out a vial of clear water.

"It was a good idea, child, but it was dangerous," Gelvin murmured. He lifted the smoking remains of Wendy's gloves; only the _Teaga_ stones attached looked to be untouched. "The most you did was to annoy them."

"But it was enough to break the freezing spell on me," said Ford. He looked down at his gloves…

"Show me your hands, Wendy," said Sofi. When Wendy complied, Sofi winced in sympathy as she uncorked the vial. "This should help with the pain until we reach the Springs," she explained as she poured the water over Wendy's reddened and blistered hands.

"That's the stuff," she sighed. She looked down at her hands and noticed that the redness eased somewhat.

"Do you have some more of that water for Dipper?" Mabel asked, turning her wide eyes to Sofi.

Sofi knelt on Mabel's other side and examined Dipper. "Your brother will need full immersion in the Springs," she told Mabel. "He is very weak."

Looking away from his gloves, Ford reached over and gently moved Dipper's bangs. The "Big Dipper" on his forehead no longer glowed, but it also seemed to be less defined now than when Dipper first showed it to him months ago. He ruffled his nephew's hair before standing up. He had a plan.

He went straight to it: "Right: Soos, Mabel and Wendy will accompany Dipper back to the Blue Guild. Before you go, I'm going to need your gloves. Yours too, Stan."

While Mabel helped Soos to remove his gloves (he still wouldn't let go of Dipper), Stan approached his twin. "What are you planning, Ford?" he asked as he peeled off his own gloves.

"Wendy gave me an idea," said Ford. He took the burned-out gloves from Gelvin and separated the _Teaga_ stones from the scorched material. Addressing Gelvin, he said, "While he taught us how to activate the protection on the gloves, Eryx explained that the _Teaga_ stones can dispel magic. A pair of stones managed to get a reaction from Mae—from _them_ , but what if we increased that number?"

Gelvin looked at Ford. "You are proposing to approach the entity with more _Teaga_ stones?"

"Exactly," Ford replied. "I'm thinking that if I can get close enough to grab them, they'll react so badly that they'll…uh…"

He paused and looked at the Maester. "Are you still up for—you know, what you said earlier?"

"Yes I am," Gelvin replied.

"Alright," said Ford, turning to look at the crowd behind him. "I know that magic won't work on these so: does anyone have any glue?"

They went to work. Minda and Gardo worked quickly to extract the _Teaga_ stones from the gloves—including their own green gloves. Minda ripped a few strips of cloth from a discarded black robe and wound them over Ford's exposed extra digits. Erwan ran outside and extracted some tree sap with magic, handing it to Stan in a small jar (he was wary of approaching Ford and the _Teaga_ stones). The sap was used as the glue to stick the other ten stones onto Ford's gloves; Stan suggested gluing the stones onto Ford's knuckles. Gardo wrapped more black strips over the stones on Ford's knuckles to doubly secure them.

Meanwhile, four Blue Mages accompanied Wendy, Mabel, Soos and the unconscious Dipper to the Blue Guild, complete with an honor guard of five other Mages. Before reaching the Blue Guild, these five Mages will break rank and fly out to the other four Guilds and to Rothezar to warn them of the impending invasion.

"Looks pretty snazzy," said Stan approvingly when Ford flexed his hands in the modified gloves. "Though I don't think that Eric guy is going to like what you've done to his gloves."

"Eryx," Ford corrected his brother as they strode out of the Inner Sanctum with Gelvin and Erwan. He looked around and spotted Duroc being levitated between two Mages. Judging from the stiffness, Ford figured that Duroc was hit with a freezing spell. Veron stood behind them holding Duroc's staff.

"We will take him to Rothezar and imprison him there," Veron muttered. "The Maesters of the Red Guild will arrive and destroy his staff as part of his punishment."

"That reminds me," said Stan as they walked briskly towards the stairs leading out of the Last Chambers. They passed by a group of people attempting to extract one of Duroc's Mages out of the floor. "Why did they scream when Maegella burned her staff?"

"Maegella did not burn her own staff," Gelvin replied stiffly as they climbed the stairs. "No Mage can destroy their own or another's. They are very durable, their source wondrous. There are only two reasons for a staff to be destroyed; one is for committing a heinous crime. A group of Maesters is required to completely destroy someone's staff. The other reason is…is…"

Gelvin and Erwan stopped climbing. Ford and Stan stopped as well, looking at the Maester with concern. Erwan looked down at his feet.

"What's the second reason?" Ford asked, though he suspected he knew the answer.

Gelvin looked straight at him with eyes full of despair. "The staff can be easily destroyed when the Mage dies," he said quietly. "What they did back there with Maegella's staff…they are sure she will never need it again."

Ford inhaled sharply and continued climbing the stairs.

"Get her a new staff after we get her back," he growled.

"You sound sure of yourself," Stan observed.

"I'm sure this plan will work Stan," Ford muttered. Then, in a softer tone, "It has to work…woah!"

They nearly reached the doors when the ground began to shake. It wasn't a particularly strong earthquake, but it was enough to make the Mages nervous, if the screams from below were any indication.

"Earthquake!" Stan yelled.

"Is the invasion starting?" Erwan cried out.

"I don't think so," Ford coughed. Dust from the ceiling of the stairwell covered their heads and shoulders "If they entered the planet's atmosphere, we should hear a sonic boom!"

"The Guardian!" Gelvin cried. "They found it! Erwan, take out your Hover Disc now!"

Soon, two sets of people flew out from the mouth of the Last Chambers. Gelvin led the way (with Ford in the front—the Maester wasn't taking any chances), heading towards the sea. They reached the edge of the woods and landed on the beach. Ahead of them, miles away from the dark sands, they spotted the dark-colored rock formations Soos pointed out earlier. It looked like a few rocky outcrops have collapsed into the sea.

Ford stared at this and shouted, "Oh, are you _kidding_ me?! It was _right there_?!"

"No one is kidding you, Stanford," Gelvin said loudly. Erwan looked out and swallowed nervously. "The Founders extracted the Sigils before they disguised the area to hide the Guardian."

Stan scratched his head as he looked at the rocks. " _That's_ your super large statue? I think it shrunk, Gelvin."

"Mek-Death did not shrink," said Gelvin. He stabbed the sand with his staff and braced himself moments before the ground shook again. "It is _kneeling_! That large mound you see right there? That is the back of its _head_!"

"Sweet holy Moses," Stan and Ford said in sync as the water around the "mound" began to bubble and froth. The four men lost their balance as the ground shook again. No one bothered to stand up, the ground kept on shaking. When their legs and bottoms got soaked by the incoming tides, Gelvin and Erwan waved their staffs, making the sand under them lift up and deposit them back to the higher part of the land that still had grass.

"Oh my God," whispered Ford as the frothing waters revealed first the conical helmet, broad shoulders, the round end of a shield…

None of them spoke as the colossus slowly straightened up from the depths. It stood up with its left facing them; half its body was covered by the oblong shield on its arm and by water. Time and immersion in the sea had mostly discolored its golden hue, but there were irregular patches on it that showed its original luster.

Ford mentally did some quick calculations; it was one thing seeing it as a projection. It was another thing when he realized that the Guardian was probably _at least_ three hundred feet tall.

"Mek-Death," Erwan whispered. "The Guardian of Rothezar rises again."

"Are we just going to fly towards that thing?" Stan asked. "That thing will swat us like bugs!"

The Guardian turned to their general direction and look up at the sky. On its chest was a circle of light, surrounded by four smaller circles. In the middle of the large circle was a shadow of a figure.

"Maegella!" Ford exclaimed, jumping up to his feet.

 **BOOM!**

The sound came from above. They looked up to see two black triangular crafts fly overhead, heading straight for Mek-Death. They slowed down and circled around the giant. Stan had a point; they looked like flies next to Mek-Death, though the four of them would be smaller than the crafts.

Ford peered at the scene. "Looks like a couple of scouts, probably checking to see if…oh no…"

The "oh no" was prompted when Mek-Death raised its shield and used it to punt the crafts away from it. The crafts were sent spinning out back over their heads and over the woods.

"They shouldn't have done that," Ford muttered, taking a step back when Mek-Death started walking towards the shore. "That's going to piss off the fleet!"

"We need to get up there!" said Gelvin. "There seems to be a field surrounding Maegella, but with your gloves, you can get through it and reach her."

"Okay," said Ford, flexing his hands. "Gelvin, I think you should put me in the fro—"

Ford's statement was suddenly cut off when he felt a thick, muscled arm hook him around the waist and yank him off his feet. He heard Stan, Gelvin and Erwan shouting as he started ascending, heading straight for the giant. He twisted around, trying to get a good look at his abductor.

"Stop moving, Stanford," Darreon growled. "If I did not think you were useful, I will drop you into the sea right now!"

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** I imagined Mek-Death would be slightly bigger than a Pacific Rim Jaeger. Also, I have some issues with measurements, so things might get fudgy in the remaining chapters.


	25. A Decision Made

**A Decision Made**

"What is he doing?!" Stan shouted as Darreon flew off with his twin. He looked at Gelvin; the Maester was staring in shock at the Green Mage flying towards Mek-Death. Stan walked over to Gelvin and grabbed the latter's shoulders. "What's that maniac going to do with my brother?!"

Gelvin did not look at Stan. He was still staring at Darreon as he zoomed off to face Mek-Death. "Darreon, no…"

"Stanley, Maester Gelvin, we must move!" Erwan shouted in panic. "The Guardian is heading our way!"

Above them, they heard more booms. They looked up and spotted more of the triangular crafts speeding for the Guardian. More of the ships flew out in different directions, heading for the different parts of Rothezar.

The Maester shook out of his trance. "We need to help them," Gelvin announced, pulling out his Hover Disc. "Take to the skies!"

 **XXXXX**

"What _the hell_ are you doing?!" Ford shouted as they sped towards the Guardian. He heard more sonic booms; the invaders are arriving _en masse_. He had to grudgingly admit, his captor's strength was commendable. Darreon's hold on him didn't shift as they sped towards the circle of light where Maegella was.

"I will not hurt you, much as I do not like you," Darreon gritted out as he leaned forward to get the Hover Disc to move faster. "I am trying to—AAAH!"

Ford yelled as well as Darreon dived sideways to avoid the Guardian's raised sword. They heard something explode as the sword sliced through an enemy ship. Ford heard Darreon mutter something that sounded like a curse as they began to descend to the ground. The moment they landed on the grass, Darreon let Ford go. Ford landed lightly on his feet and quickly turned to face his captor, raising his fists.

"I was trying to help you, Stanford!" Darreon shouted, jumping off the Disc; above them, the Guardian was slicing through the enemy ships with the broadsword and blocking the missiles with the oblong shield.

"The hell you are!" Ford snapped. "You stopped us from helping her, you knucklehead!"

Darreon looked exasperated. "There is no time for this!" he snarled before throwing down his staff between them and raising his hands in the air. "There! I am unarmed! Now will you listen to me?!"

Ford frowned at him and lowered his fists just a bit. "Fine. But make it quick; we're trying to save her before she…"

"Before she is lost forever, I know that!" Darreon cut in. "I heard what had happened after I revived from your brother's blow. I hid behind the pillars and heard everything, even your plan to use the _Teaga_ stones! I then went out to find her; from the time I spent spying on the Deceiver, I knew where the Guardian was hidden. By the time I reached the shore, she sank—she sank into the water near the rocks…"

Darreon's angry façade melted into one of grief; he started wringing his hands. "I know my history," he said in a cracked voice. "My beloved Maegella does not deserve that! You have to believe me! We have the same goal! "

Ford looked at him and put his hands down to his sides.

"Then we're on the same page," he said quietly. "But you didn't have to snatch me up back there; Gelvin and I already agreed on a plan."

Darreon put his hands down and stared at Ford. "I offer another alternative…"

 **XXXXX**

"Do you see them?" Erwan shouted.

"No!" Gelvin shouted back. "Look out!"

Erwan and Gelvin split up as a ship zipped past them, shooting silver missiles at Mek-Death. They flew out to a safe distance to the side, watching the Guardian block the missiles with the shield and following it with a swing of the broadsword at the enemy ships.

The Maester could feel Stan's hands digging into his shoulders. "Stanley, I'm an old man…" he gritted out.

The grip on his shoulders eased. "Whoops!" said Stan. He tried to move the Maester aside to look at the fight below. "Where are they? If that bastard hurt my brother…"

"With the amount of _Teaga_ stones on Stanford's hands? I doubt it," said Gelvin.

"Look!" Erwan shouted. "By the legs of the Guardian! Do you see them?"

Stan peered at Mek-Death's feet. "Kind of hard to see with all the explosions and bits of broken ships, pal!"

"I see them!" Gelvin yelled back. "They are approaching the circle from the bottom up!"

Gelvin threw his head back and sighed. He came to a decision.

The Maester turned to Erwan. "Go back to the Last Chambers! Bring as many Mages as you can back here!"

Erwan looked horrified. "I cannot leave you and Stanley here!"

"Do not question me about this! We must give them time!" Gelvin shouted. He leaned forward and shot towards the melee.

"Give them time?" Stan repeated; he tightened his hold on the Maester as they zigzagged through the flying horde. As they got closer, he finally spotted them flying up past the thighs of the colossus: his brother was in front of Darreon, who held on to Ford's shoulder with one hand and brandished his staff with the other to clear their path from flying debris and shots from the enemy ships. "Wait, aren't you supposed to…?"

"I know," Gelvin replied heavily. "We need to give them time!"

And they headed into the warzone.

 **XXXXX**

"We're almost there!" Ford shouted. "Look out!"

Darreon twisted to the left to avoid the falling debris. Above them, they could see the circle of light. From their point of view and the light emanating from the chest, Ford observed the semi-transparent film that jutted out from the chest of the colossus: the field that Gelvin mentioned earlier.

"Remember: you must activate the _Teaga_ stones when we are close enough, otherwise, we will both fall to our deaths!" Darreon yelled.

"I know, I know!" Ford yelled back. He raised his hands above him.

"Almost there…"

They zigzagged across the Guardian's torso as it twisted around to fight off the invaders.

"Just a little bit more…"

The Guardian leaned forward, trying to stab a ship with its sword. They shifted to avoid getting too close; sparks flew from the Hover Disc as it grazed over the giant's chest.

"NOW!"

Darreon takes his hand off Ford's shoulders as the latter quickly clapped the back of his hands, activating the _Teaga_ stones, before raising them up. The field he spotted seemed to open up in front of them just as the Hover Board began to shudder under them. Neither of them discussed what could happen when Ford activated the gloves while they were flying, as the Discs required magic to work. Before they flew out, Ford told Darreon to increase the speed going up, hoping that the momentum would be enough to get them through.

They yelled as they break through the field. The Hover Disc fell to the ground...

 **XXXXX**

Up in the skies, Stan witnessed their entry and shouted in triumph.

"They got in!" he informed loudly to Gelvin.

"Do not celebrate yet!" Gelvin yelled as he fired a spell at an incoming craft. They turned to avoid the ship as the hex destroyed part of the wing, making the ship spin out of control. "We have to deal with these trespassers while the Guardian is out!"

"Oh boy," Stan muttered as Mek-Death suddenly stopped fighting and slowly went down to kneel on one knee. It raised its shield arm to cover its torso and laid down its sword on the ground, though it still kept a good grip on it. The otherworld crafts surrounded the Guardian and started firing at it.

"They don't seem to be putting a dent on it with their missiles!" said Stan.

"Even with Stanford's gloves, it still has the protection of the Sigils," said Gelvin. They swerved sharply to avoid a ship that decided to attack them.

"Gelvin, there's too many of these guys!" Stan said, gripping the Maester's shoulders tightly again. "We can't take them all on. I can't even help you!"

"I still have some fight left in me, son!" Gelvin growled, slashing his staff through the air to release a spell at an incoming ship. Stan gulped as the man in front of him let out a surprisingly chilling war cry.

 **XXXXX**

It was quiet in here.

Ford blinked and looked around. He and Darreon were floating in some kind of vacuum in a bubble that was at least three times the size of the prison droid that trapped him when the UFO's security sensors were tripped off. The light surrounding them was bright, but not blinding, and in the middle of it was Maegella. Ford swallowed as he noticed that her glowing eyes were fixed on him. He also noticed that she wasn't floating like he and Darreon were; she was fixed to the chest of the Guardian. Was it a trick of the light, or did it look like she was… _sinking_ into the light?

"Maegella," Darreon whispered beside him.

 **THIS IS FOOLISHNESS,** she said, narrowing her gleaming eyes at them. **SHE MADE HER CHOICE. YOU SHOULD RESPECT HER DECISION.**

"That's not what I heard," Ford snapped. "Soos told us how you manipulated Maegella into sacrificing herself. There was already a willing volunteer…"

 **THAT IS MOOT, STANFORD PINES**. **IT IS DONE. I ONLY PRESENTED THE FACTS TO MAEGELLA TO HELP HER DECIDE, NOTHING MORE**.

Ford balled his hands into fists. "You really lost your sense of humanity, haven't you?"

If the Disgraced One had a face, he would have pummeled it right now.

 **AND YOU HAVE LOST YOUR OBJECTIVITY. WHILE WE ARGUE HERE, THE ENEMY HAS SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE LAND. THE PEOPLE SUFFER WHILE YOU WASTE** ** _OUR_** **TIME, HER SACRIFICE FOR ROTHEZAR! YOU CANNOT UNDO THIS CONTRACT!**

"That is where we beg to differ," Darreon growled. Maegella turned to look at him; he had moved to her left side. "What we are about to do still applies to the Rule of the First Act."

The entity's eyes grow wide as she turned her head to look at Ford, who moved close enough to grab her shoulder and arm. In the infinitesimal moment where he reached out, she saw his gloves and her glowing eyes became wide with alarm.

 **NO!**

Ford gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore the heat that radiated in his gloves and the unearthly screams of his captive.

 _It's not her_ , Ford thought, wincing at the rising temperature he felt in his hands. _You're not hurting HER, you're trying to SAVE her!_

 **LET ME GO!** the entity screamed, trying to shake away from Ford's grip, but her motions were limited as she was still magically stuck to the chest of the Guardian while her other hand was restrained by Darreon. The circle of light behind her began to shrink. **YOU FOOL! WE CANNOT BE SEPARATED! I—WE—WE NEED A VESSEL! ROTHEZAR MUST BE PROTECTED!** ** _THE GUARDIAN MUST NOT FALL!_**

"No it will not," Darreon said firmly. He grabbed the back of Maegella's head to press his forehead against the Pendulum branded on her hot forehead. " _Amin mela lle_ , Maegella…" he whispered, closing his eyes.

 **XXXXX**

Meanwhile, Gelvin and Stan landed near the edge of the forest. Stan helped the Maester get off the Hover Disc and led him to a nearby tree. The older man was breathing heavily, and Stan wondered if Gelvin might be having a heart attack. He wasn't sure he could pound Gelvin's chest if it came to it. He'd probably crack the older man's ribs.

"Ya overdid it, pal," Stan murmured as he helped Gelvin lean on a tree. He looked around and spotted a handful of Mages (including Erwan) take to the skies and meet the invaders head-on. "That was some intense magic-fu you did up there; also, I never want to experience that again."

Gelvin huffed in amusement. "Give me a moment to catch my breath, Stanley," he wheezed as he withdrew a flask from his robes and took a swig before handing it to Stan. "I just warmed up!"

Stan snorted before taking a cautious sip from the flask. He figured that—like most things in this crazy world—magic kept the sweet-tasting beverage ice cold. The liquid went smoothly down his throat, then the coolness spread across his chest. He immediately felt invigorated.

"This is some good stuff!" Stan said appreciatively. "I feel tingly all over, right down to my feet…" He paused as he realized that it wasn't his feet that were tingling. "Wait a minute..."

The two men looked up: the Guardian was moving. Amidst the fighting going on around it, it let go of the sword in order to place a hand under the shield covering its torso. When it moved its shield arm away, they saw that the hand was cupping the circle of light on its chest. It moved its hand from its chest and leaned down to place something on the grass a few feet away from the sword.

Stan and Gelvin ran towards the area as the giant retracted its hand. Lying on the grass were two people. The man in blue robes rolled over to bend over the red-haired figure in the silvery robes.

"Ford!"

"Maegella!"

Stan and Gelvin reached them as Mek-Death bent over to pick up the broadsword, swiping it up to take out the two ships that were heading towards the group on the ground. It stood up and started swinging at the enemy. The Mages in the air decided that it was a good time to get back on the ground.

"Holy Moses," Stan muttered, looking up at the behemoth and at Maegella lying on the ground. "They did it. They got that crazy green guy to switch places with Maegella." He turned to look at Gelvin. "Did you see this was gonna happen?"

The Maester closed his eyes and nodded. "The moment I touched him, I saw both his past and this future. Darreon loved Maegella, enough to give himself up to save her," he said, looking sadly at the Guardian. He then turned to Maegella and frowned. "Maegella?" he said, reaching over to shake her shoulder gently.

Stan moved to kneel beside Ford; his brother was holding his hands close to his chest, just as Wendy had done earlier after she tried to grab Maegella. He could smell something burning. "Ford, you're hurt!"

"Never mind me," Ford said curtly, his eyes never leaving Maegella's face. "We forced the Disgraced One and the Sigil off from her. She was screaming, but it wasn't her…"

Ford's voice trailed off. Stan frowned and turned to look at what shocked his brother.

On the ground, Maegella whimpered in distress, turning her head sideways as though she was in the grip of a nightmare. Her eyes were partially opened, showing a sliver of brightness.

Stan and Ford flinched.

"I thought you got rid of that—that thing!" Stan hissed.

"We did!" Ford said, looking stricken. "We forced it to move from Maegella to Darreon, make it gain a new host! Darreon has the Sigil on his forehead before he attached himself on Mek-Death and set us down here!"

Gelvin frowned as he moved some of the red hair from Maegella's face. Her forehead had the faint, non-glowing outline of the Pendulum on it, looking similar to the faded mark on Dipper's forehead. His eyes became wide, his expression a mixture of fear and wonder.

"Stanford is correct," said the Maester. "Maegella is free from the Sigil, but she is suffering from the effects of the eviction. We must bring her to the Springs _now_."

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:**

"Amin mela lle" – "I love you"


	26. The Encounter

While the battle raged near the coast, ten people quickly made their way back up the river towards the Blue Guild, hoping that the cover of the trees would shield them from the view of the invaders. Two of them hitched a ride with a Mage; Ford stood in front of Erwan, as his hands were hurt from holding the entity while wearing the modified _Teaga_ gloves (Stan took the gloves off his brother and stuffed them in the pockets of his robe next to his useless hearing aid) and Stan was partnered with another Mage. Between them was a Hover Disc that was stretched longer than Stan and Ford's Hover Boards; this was done to accommodate Maegella lying down and Gelvin standing up by her feet, steering the Board.

Since the Disgraced One was forcibly removed from her, Maegella had not regained consciousness. Ford kept looking between her and the sides of the woods where they could hear the ships crash. He wondered how Darreon was holding up; he was sure he will never forget the expression on Darreon's face when he offered to replace Maegella as the volunteer.

More importantly, did Dipper, Mabel, Wendy and Soos get to the Springs on time? Were they safe at the Blue Guild?

Ford looked ahead and spotted something smoking on his right.

"There's a crashed ship ahead," he said, as loudly as possible without actually shouting. "Everyone, slow down and make a turn to avoid it!"

They followed Ford's suggestion. As they passed the ship, Ford looked at it; if he wasn't mistaken, they seem to be facing the nose or the front of the craft. What looked to be the cockpit—which had glowing lights in strange patterns—was exposed: there was no one inside.

Ford looked around. "Where's the pilot?"

"Look out!" someone yelled.

Ford turned to his right and saw a large shape jump out from the trees and land on three members of their party: Stan and two Mages crashed to the ground. Gelvin nearly lost his balance and had to make an emergency landing with Maegella a few feet away from the crash site.

"STAN!" He turned his head to Erwan. "Erwan, turn around! We have to help them!"

Erwan complied, and they did a U-turn and landed on the bank. Two Mages were pointing their staff at a broad-shouldered humanoid wearing a suit of overlapping, mud-colored plates that covered it from head-to-toe, reminiscent of an armadillo's armor. The being was wrestling with Stan on the ground, who seem to be putting up quite a fight. Stan moved his head just in time before the being's fist punched the ground. He retaliated by punching his opponent, snapping their head back and sending their faceplate flying into the water.

Stan and the Mages gasped as they looked at the newly exposed face. Erwan pointed his staff at the back of the pilot and fired off a green spell. To his horror, the spell simply bounced off the armor and shot off towards the trees. The being placed a hand around Stan's throat, choking him, as it turned around to find who fired the spell. Erwan and Ford just stared; the face scowling back at them was barely human, with wide yellow eyes and covered in green scales.

"Come any closer, and I break his neck," the pilot hissed in a low voice. Ford felt something cold in the pit of his stomach as the creature squeezed his brother's neck. Stan started choking and his face changed color.

"Don't hurt him, damn it!" Ford growled as the pilot grabbed Stan by the lapels of his robes and hoisted him up. Stan's feet were dangling about a foot off the ground.

"Stop the giant," spat the pilot. "Stop the giant or I kill him."

This request was met with silence. Ford and Erwan looked at each other.

"The Guardian cannot be stopped," Erwan explained firmly, looking at the pilot in the eye. "Not while you threaten us with this invasion."

"You lie," the pilot growled. "You have magic. You can make it move, you can make it stop!"

"It doesn't work like that," Ford said through gritted teeth. He knew what information Erwan was withholding from the pilot. He tried not to look behind him as he continued, "Your attack here activated the giant! Call off the invasion and the giant will stop."

The yellow eyes narrowed at Ford. "No. If you will not stop it, we will finish it. We will finish you all."

Ford stared at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Weapon…battleship…"

Ford whipped around. Gelvin sat next to Maegella, who had opened her glowing eyes. She spoke in a hoarse voice; every word she uttered seem to take so much effort for her to say.

"Can decimate…life…must not…let…weapon…here…"

"She knows," the pilot snarled. Ford turned around in time to see the pilot throw Stan at the two Mages behind him before walking towards Maegella. The Mages jumped sideways; one of them raised her staff and slowed down Stan's descent, gently placing him near the wreckage of the space craft. " _How does she know?!_ "

"Keep away from her!" Ford growled. Erwan raised his staff and fired off more spells at the pilot, but they simply bounce off his armor.

"Don't point your staff at him!" Ford shouted. "Put a spell on something else!"

Unfortunately, the pilot reached Erwan before he could follow Ford's advice and backhanded him across the face, sending the Green Mage tumbling down. Ford roared and tried to tackle the pilot's side. The pilot merely grunted at the impact; Ford felt like he broke his shoulder instead. The pilot elbowed Ford aside, making Ford see stars as he let go of his target and fall painfully to the ground.

"No," Ford wheezed as he tried to get up. The pilot was a few feet away from Gelvin and Maegella…

Suddenly, they hear a faint, shrill sound. Ford and the Mages looked around, trying to find the source of the sound, but then they hear a howl. It came from the pilot; he dropped to his knees and started screaming in agony.

"Aaaaah! Make it stop! Make it stop!" the pilot screamed as he yanked his helmet off, exposing his scaly head. He clapped his hands to the sides of his head and kept on howling. "I give up, just make it stop!"

Two Mages assisted Ford to his feet. Another Mage approached the pilot and picked up his helmet, which he gave to Ford. Ford put the helmet close to his ear. The shrill sound was coming from it.

"It's not _that_ bad," Ford said, looking down at the pilot twitching in agony. "It's annoying, but not that bad." He initially thought the pilot was being overdramatic, and his helmet is far away from him…

"It is agony!" screamed the pilot. "It is drilling into my brain! Make it stop!"

Ford stared at him.

"Hyperacusis?" Ford murmured. "He's sensitive to a particular frequency."

"What is causing it?" asked Erwan, who was back on his feet. "Where is the sound coming from?"

"I know what's causing it," Stan called out to them. Ford turned around and found his twin standing next to the crashed ship. He was holding something up in the air.

"Stan!" Ford called out. He jogged up towards his brother. "Are you okay?"

Stan waved off his brother's concern, seeing how Ford was holding his shoulder. "I'm okay; ugly over there didn't crush my windpipe. Did you break your shoulder?"

Ford waved aside his brother's worry. "It's nothing serious, it's just sore. What did you find, Stan? What's driving the pilot crazy?"

Stan stretched his hand out to his twin. Ford looked at the thing in his brother's hand. "Your hearing aid," he said, picking it up. He holds it close to his ear and hears the faint shrill sound.

Stan nodded. "I was looking inside the ship to see if there's something we can use on that creep when I hear the feedback coming from my pocket. I fish it out and lo and behold, I see the thing turned back on again!"

"That's…not possible," said Ford, staring at the hearing aid. "Rothezar's magic cancels out technology."

"I know that; you explained that to me when I told ya my hearing aid stopped working yesterday," said Stan. He steps aside and sweeps and arm over the cockpit. "Whaddaya call this then?"

Ford takes a step forward and peers inside. Against the black backdrop, the console glowed with a sickly green light. The illuminated little shapes under the large ones looked to be some kind of text. In the middle of the front panel was a glowing green pyramid nestled in a slot. Ford reached in to touch it.

"Careful, Ford!" Stan whispered as his brother grasped the pyramid firmly—ignoring the stab of pain in his injured hand—and pulled it out of its socket. When he did so, the light in the cockpit went out, but the shrill sound still emanated from Stan's hearing aid.

Ford looked at the pyramid, then at Stan's hearing aid, then at the distressed pilot trying to bury his head in the bank, and then towards the cockpit of the downed ship. He started piecing the clues together…

"I can hear you thinking from here, Sixer," Stan murmured. "Whaddaya got?"

Ford raised his head and looked at them.

"First things first." He pointed to the pilot and said, "Tie up that creep…"

 **XXXXX**

Several minutes later, Gelvin and three other Mages escorted Maegella to the Blue Guild and the scaly pilot was bound tightly with ropes before Ford told Stan to step away from him with the hearing aid. Stan had to walk over ten feet away from the ship before his hearing aid stopped working.

The Mages brought the tied-up pilot to Ford. The reptilian-like humanoid looked at Ford with baleful but wary yellow eyes.

Ford frowned at him and raised the green pyramid. "Now you listen to me very carefully," he growled. "Because I'm not going to repeat this and we've had a _long_ day. I'm going to put this back in your ship, and you are going to contact your captain or whoever is leading this invasion and tell them to stand down and leave this planet alone. We are going to give you an hour to round up any survivors around this planet before you get the hell out of here and never look back. Is that understood?"

"Why would I do that?" grumbled the pilot.

Ford grinned evilly at him. He cupped a hand to his mouth and yelled, "HEY STAN! COME OVER HERE A SEC!"

Ten feet away from them, Stan produced an identical evil grin and started walking back. After five paces, his hearing aid comes back to life, and the pilot started squealing in pain.

"ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT!" he howled. "I'll do it! Please, make it stop!"

Ford gave the pilot a benevolent smile and raised a hand to Stan. Just as they discussed, Stan walked backwards until the feedback stopped. Ford turned to reach in and place the pyramid back in its slot, reactivating the console. He nodded to the Mages. At his signal, the Mages removed half the bindings from the pilot until only his legs and half his arms were free. His upper arms were still tightly bound to his torso, and the Mages were pointing their staffs at him.

The pilot could easily overpower them if he tried, but there was still the threat of the other man holding what he thought was an auditory torture device…

 **XXXXX**

An hour later, it was over.

The pilot got through to the mothership in space and relayed Ford's message to them. When the captain refused to believe him and started to give orders to start the weapon, Ford waved to Stan to get him walking back to them. Because the feedback played straight through to the battleship's control room, it was immediately broadcasted throughout the rest of the fleet that entered Rothezar's atmosphere. They would hear later how the ships suddenly careened out of control over the hamlets and Guilds before either crashing or turning abruptly around and shooting back up to the skies. After giving them a sample of the horrors to come, the captain immediately called back their ships and sent out a craft that was slightly bigger than the triangular crafts to scour Rothezar for any survivors. Once they finished picking up the shipless pilots, the recon craft returned to the battleship and left Rothezar's airspace.

Ford, Stan, Erwan and the other two Mages didn't leave the crash site until their pilot was picked up and they received the final message from the captain that they were leaving for good. The Pines brothers were paired with a Mage and set off for the Blue Guild.

Along the way, Stan looked at Ford and asked, "If we can't use technology here in Rothezar, how come my hearing aid worked when I was near that ship?"

Ford looked contemplative before he answered, "It seems that these aliens have managed to combine technology and magic. That green pyramid was a battery strong enough to power a ship. It's the only way to explain how they were able to enter Rothezar's atmosphere and still fly. Somehow, that same battery managed to reactivate your hearing aid, but it wasn't working well and only produced the feedback that drove the aliens crazy."

"Huh," said Stan. "Now that the scaly bastards are gone, what's going to happen to the big stone giant and Maegella's friend?"

"I'm not sure," replied Ford. To Erwan, he asked, "What do you think will happen, Erwan?"

Behind him, the Green Mage looked grim. "I am not certain. No one is certain until we find where the Guardian rests."

 **XXXXX**

They arrived at the Blue Guild and found that it was crowded. The Blue Mages, from the oldest Maesters to the teenaged trainees, were on double duty attending to all the injured folk that arrived at their gates. The most seriously injured were immediately led to the Springs, while the patients who weren't in critical condition were attended to by the local medicine men and women who arrived at the Guild to help out. These non-magical Healers were assisted by the youngest trainees, who walked all over the place getting bandages, splints, and potions where needed.

Fortunately, there were a couple of familiar faces who were waiting for them by the entrance to the Guild Hall.

"Mr. Pineses!" Soos yelled when he saw Stan and Ford. He ran up to the two brothers and hugged them at the same time. Soos immediately let them go when he heard Ford groan in pain.

"You're hurt!" said Wendy, rushing up to them. "Maester Arra told us to take you guys straight to the Springs."

"How's Dipper?" Stan and Ford asked at the same time.

Wendy smiled. "He's going to be okay!" she said. "They just got Dipper out of the pool and took him to a recovery room. Mabel's with him now."

At the news, Stan and Ford looked at each other and laughed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness!" said Ford. He looked at Wendy and Soos and asked hopefully, "Did you see Maegella?"

"We did," said Soos. "She arrived just as Dipper got out of his pool. They placed her in the pool next to him and, well…"

Soos stopped talking and looked at Wendy.

"What is it?" asked Stan.

Soos looked at Ford and Stan.

"I think you'd better see it in person."

They arrived at the mouth of the cave leading to the Healing Springs. There was a lot of traffic: the healed people were led out by companions, and the Mages magically carried the injured inside. They found Sofi standing at the mouth of the cave. She took one look at Ford and beckoned to them.

"I will take you to an available pool," she said, standing next to Ford to assist him. It looked like all the available pools on the first level were occupied. Ford had never seen the Springs so crowded. Sofi led them to a wooden set of stairs leading to the second level of the Springs. "The Maesters advised me to take you to Maegella's pool as soon as you arrive."

"What happened, Sofi?" asked Ford. "Did the pool not work?"

He looked up; in front of them, a crowd of Mages and Maesters surrounded one of the pools. Only one of them wore gray robes. Gelvin turned around and broke free from the crowd to meet them halfway.

"Gelvin, what's going on?" Ford asked.

"We are not sure," replied the Maester. He led them to the pool, and the blue-cloaked bystanders parted to let Ford and Stan through.

The Pines brothers looked down. Maegella floated in the pool, looking serene. She was still wearing the silvery robes from her brief stint as the holder of the Sigil, but that wasn't what had the Blue Mages buzzing.

"Is the water supposed to glow like that?" asked Stan.

Standing beside him, Maester Galen looked at Stan and Ford.

"No," she replied.


	27. The Maester's Story

Dipper opened his eyes and found himself looking at the curved blue ceiling of an unfamiliar room.

He blinked and carefully sat up, taking stock of his surroundings while trying to figure out what was off about all this. This was not his and Mabel's room; it was a large, circular room with dark wood paneling and round glass windows. He looked down and noticed that he covered with a dark blue blanket, lying in the middle of a bed that was larger than the one in his room back home. Looking around further, he noticed that there were five other beds spaced around the room. Beside him was a familiar, relieved face.

"Dipper!" Mabel squealed, pouncing on her twin to envelope him in a hug. "You're awake! You're okay!" At Dipper's squawk, she pulled away from him and gave him a critical look. "You _are_ okay, right?"

"Uh…I feel okay," her brother replied, looking at his sister in confusion. He looked around the room and scratched his head. "How did we—where are we, Mabel?"

"We're in Rothezar, bro!" Mabel said brightly.

Dipper looked at her in shock. "Rothezar? Maegella's dimension?! How did we get here?"

Mabel looked at him in concern. "You don't remember?" When Dipper shook his head, she asked, "Okay, so what's the last thing you _do_ remember?"

Dipper frowned in concentration. "We were watching TV while they were talking in Dad's office," he said slowly. "And I think I fell asleep and…"

And then he remembered: dreaming of meeting his clone Tyrone on the roof of the Mystery Shack, Tyrone leading him back up to the attic room and locking him inside, Tyrone looking back at him as his eyes glowed and his voice became deep and haunting and strange…

"Tyrone!" Dipper gasped just as the door to the room opened. He and Mabel looked up to find four familiar people walk inside: Wendy, Soos, and their Grunkles. Upon seeing Dipper, the new arrivals rushed towards his bed. For a few minutes, Dipper was hugged, noogied and—in Soos' case—cried on.

"Seriously, how are you feeling now, Dipper?" Ford asked after ruffling his nephew's hair.

Dipper shrugged. "I feel okay; better than I did after waking up in my room a few days ago. And can anyone tell me how we got here? Are Mom and Dad here?"

Stan and Ford looked at each other nervously.

Stan rubbed the back of his head and replied, "It's just the six of us, kiddo. Your parents are back in Piedmont, probably wondering what the heck happened to us."

"We'll deal with that when we get back to our dimension," said Ford calmly. To Dipper he said, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for us."

Wendy, Soos, Stan and Ford got some chairs from around the room and started sharing the events from their last night in Piedmont to the present. Dipper then shared the last thing he remembered until he woke up in this room. He knew that two of his copier clones wrote something in the third Journal, but still decided to explain how his mysterious doppelganger came about with the number "2" on his hat.

"Huh, so that _wasn't_ just some rinky-dink copier machine in the Shack," Stan murmured after Dipper explained how Tyrone came to be.

"And the Tyrone who tricked me was really some ancient wizard who got sucked into the Sigil," said Dipper. He looked at his Grunkles and grinned. "And you two stopped an alien invasion! That is _so_ cool!"

Ford smiled while Stan snorted. "Yeah, those aliens were lightweights. Couldn't even handle my hearing aid."

"So, now that the invasion is over, what happened to the Guardian-thing?" Dipper asked. "Is it still running around the place?"

Ford looked uncomfortable when he replied, "We're not sure yet, Dipper. Last we heard, they're still looking for it."

"I don't know why it's so hard to find a gigantic moving statue," Stan muttered. "It's huge! Unless it walked back into the ocean or something…" Stan stopped when he saw Ford's face. "Uh, they'll find it soon, I'll bet."

Ford looked at his hands and flexed them. Before coming up to see Dipper, he and Stan submerged in the Springs for a time to heal their injuries; Sofi and Gelvin would not let the Pines brothers leave to visit their great-nephew otherwise. He found it discomfiting to think about what happened to Darreon…

He felt a small hand on the back of his hand; Mabel had stood up from Dipper's side and approached him.

"How's Maegella doing?" she asked, looking up at him.

"She's…well, there's still no change since she was brought to the Springs," Ford replied quietly. He felt a larger hand on his shoulder and turned to see Stan looking at him in concern.

 **XXXXX**

They had to wait for Sofi to assess Dipper's condition before he was allowed to leave his room. When the lamps were uncovered to reveal the glowing rocks at dusk, the group were led to the large dining hall of the Blue Guild, which was quite crowded. While they each picked up a plate and started spooning food on it at the buffet-style spread in the middle of the room, Sofi shared that she has never seen the Guild this full before.

"Many of the injured have been healed and returned home, but there are others who still need to visit the Springs again or who live farther away," Sofi explained as she led the group to a table that was partially full. "And then there are the healers who need to rest before they can return to their hamlets."

"You certainly have your hands full," Ford murmured as he set his plate down on a vacant large round table before taking his seat. He found the two seats on his right being hastily occupied by Dipper and Mabel; the two of them were highly amused for some reason.

"What's so funny?" he asked them curiously.

In response, the younger twins started snickering louder as Stan sat next to Ford. Before Ford could say anything, Stan stiffened and turned _red_ when a short, brown-haired woman passed by their table and winked at him. As she walked away, they heard a girlish giggle.

Sofi's green eyes widened as Mabel covered a squeal with her hands.

"I—I have never seen Maester Lilis act like that before," Sofi whispered.

Dipper leaned forward to address Stan. "She seems nice, Grunkle Stan," he said in a high, polite voice. He was fighting hard to hold in his laughter.

"I don't know what you're talking about, kid," Stan grumbled, elbowing Ford's side after hearing him snort while cutting his pie. "Eat your magic food or something. Do they have ice cream here or what?"

 **XXXXX**

After eating dinner and ribbing Stan good-naturedly for attracting the attentions of a Maester, Sofi led the group to the Healing Springs. The paved path was alight with lamp posts containing the glowing rocks; Dipper asked Sofi if he could take one home as a souvenir.

The cavernous Springs was cool and well-lit by the glowing rocks embedded on its walls. Dipper looked around in awe as they took the steps leading to the second level. "I wish I had a camera with me!" he said in a low voice. "This place is _amazing_!"

"Even if you did, you wouldn't be able to use it here," Ford murmured as they approached Maegella's pool. There were two people near it, sitting cross-legged near the mouth of the glowing spring. Maester Gelvin and Sandri turned around at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Greetings, Maester Gelvin," said Sofi. "Maester Galen has a room prepared for you here in the Guild…"

Gelvin waved off Sofi's invitation. "I thank you and Maester Galen for your generosity, Sofi," said the elderly man, smiling. "But I will stay here and keep an eye on Maegella." He looked around at the rest of the party. "Ah, good eve, everyone. I trust that you have all been fed and watered?"

"We're good, Gelvin," replied Ford, looking away from Maegella to address Gelvin. "Have you eaten yet? How long have you been sitting out here?"

"I am fine, Stanford," Gelvin insisted. Turning to Sandri, he said, "I think it's time for you to go and have your supper, Sandri. These fine people will keep me company here."

Sandri nodded and stood up. When he passed Ford, the Mage leaned close to him and whispered, "I worry about him. Please try to convince him to retire to his room. We will take shifts to keep watch on Mentor Maegella."

Ford nodded and patted Sandri's shoulder before moving to sit beside Gelvin. On Gelvin's request, Dipper sat on Gelvin's other side and Mabel sat next to Dipper. Stan and Soos sat next to Ford, and Wendy sat next to Mabel.

"I know that Sandri wants you to convince me to leave and rest in the guest room," Gelvin murmured. "But do not worry about me; I spent thirteen years of my life sleeping. It stands to reason that I can endure at least one day without sleep."

Gelvin then turned to Dipper and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I do want to apologize for putting you and your family through this grief," he said solemnly as Dipper looked up at him. "I did not see this far when I placed the Sigil on you as a baby. When I assessed your health back then, my thought was to help you and—selfishly—I thought that placing the Sigil on you would solve at least two problems at once."

Dipper smiled and patted the wrinkled hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Gelvin," he said in a reassuring tone. "I mean, you saved my life when I was a baby. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be growing up with my sister or learn more about my family or meet all these great friends and people."

He looked towards the pool and frowned. "I wish I could thank her, too. From what everyone else have said, she saved my life."

Gelvin sighed. "Maester Galen said that it may take time. The Blue Maesters agreed that it might too risky to move Maegella from the pool. We are not sure of what will happen. Even I am not sure."

"Ya did too much magic back there," Stan said. "You overdid it. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

"Possibly," Gelvin agreed. "But I will stay here and keep watch."

Ford looked back to the pool. Maegella looked like she was sleeping in a pool of light, her hair spread out and floating in the water.

He cleared his throat and said, "Back at the Last Chambers, you said that you saw this but failed." Ford looked at Gelvin; the Maester was staring at the pool. "Was this the outcome you saw?"

Gelvin shook his head. He reached inside his robes and extracted a clear glass orb, similar to the one Maegella brought with her to Dimension 46'\\. He scooted backwards until there was space in front of him to set the orb down.

"It is somewhat complicated, Stanford," he said as he put his staff down and moved his hands over the orb. It began to glow and produce a semi-transparent image of a smiling young man with an oval-shaped face, black unruly hair, and gray eyes.

"Who's that?" asked Mabel.

"His name was Calix," answered Gelvin. "He was my dearest friend growing up at the foot of the mountains of Beleger." He looked at Ford and continued, "He was Maegella's grandfather."

"So that's why his eyes look familiar," Mabel whispered.

"Calix was a curious lad with an adventurous streak. We would explore the woods near our hamlet, looking for something to trade for sweets or a present for our parents. I was a bookish, scrawny little boy and was often made fun of for being so awkward. I still wonder why Calix sought out my company, but I was glad he did. In fact, on one of our 'adventures', I stopped him from setting off an old hunting trap in the woods."

The hologram changed to show a scene; two young boys were walking in the woods. The small, skinny blond boy suddenly reached out and pulled the taller boy back, but not before the latter stepped on the taught rope he didn't see. A split second later, the ground in front of them gave way. The two boys peeked over the edge and found that the bottom of the exposed pit was lined with spikes.

Stan cringed. "Yeesh, that was close!"

"Dude, was that the first time you started seeing the future?" asked Soos.

Gelvin nodded. "I just turned ten when that happened," he explained. "Soon, I was brought before a group of Maesters, tested, and then was whisked away to be trained. Finding a Gray Mage is quite difficult; one new recruit appears every twenty-five years or so. My isolation at the Gray Guild would have been so lonely if I did not have Calix's messages to look forward to. And the next thing I knew, over twenty years have passed and I learned that Calix…proposed marriage to a pretty lass from a neighboring hamlet. It was one of the three times I left the Gray Guild."

Stan raised an eyebrow at the slight change in Gelvin's tone.

"Really?" asked Mabel. "Don't you go out much?"

Gelvin smiled at Mabel. "The Gray Guild is very strict on that, Mabel. We are supposed to live a life of seclusion in order to keep our visions pure. But I was persuasive. I was able to venture out for three specific occasions: Calix's marriage, the birth of his child, and…"

Here, Gelvin paused. He picked up his staff and twisted it in his lap before continuing.

"And when I received word that he passed away. His daughter, Melora, sent me the news. That was the day I decided never to return to the seclusion of the Gray Guild. I went back to our hamlet and made a promise on his grave that I would watch over his family until my dying breath. This I did while I travelled all over, offering assistance when I could and keeping watch over his only child. Melora, bless her, invited me to witness her marriage to Mitros six years later and a year after that, to introduce me to her newborn daughter."

Once again, the scene from the orb changed. It now showed a pretty woman with Calix's hair and eyes sitting next to a lean man with dark red hair. In the woman's arms was a swaddled baby with wispy red hair and rosy cheeks.

"And yet," Gelvin whispered. "I did not foresee the tragedy that would befall on them. I failed Calix."

The image of the family dissolved and the projection seem to expand, the better to show the scene of utter devastation near the sea. The beach was littered with debris; further inland, the ground showed the foundations of houses that used to stand there. Somewhere in the rubble, a small figure wandered. Her dark red hair was unruly, and she rubbed one of her eyes with a tiny fist.

"Oh, that is so sad!" Mabel cried. Dipper wrapped an arm around his twin while Wendy discreetly wiped her eyes. Next to Ford, Stan blew his nose on the corner of his robe while Soos' lower lip trembled. Ford could only watch while he felt his gut twist at the thought of Maegella being orphaned so young.

"That was how I first found Maegella when I arrived on the scene," Gelvin murmured. "Their neighbor led me to her and begged me to take her. The woman already had five children and could not afford to take in another. So I knelt next to Maegella and took her hand and…"

The next scene was jarring. One moment, they were looking at a frightened little girl's face. Then the face morphed to an older Maegella, her expression fierce as her eyes glowed white, her red hair billowing around her face, the Pendulum Sigil branded and gleaming on her forehead.

While everyone gaped at the change, Ford stared.

"Wait a minute," he said, leaning forward to get a better look. "She looks like a teenager here."

Gelvin nodded. "I told you earlier that viewing the future is complicated. Every time I visited Maegella, her age changes in my vision, but it is always the same: the Pendulum branded on her forehead and her eyes aglow. I realized that something was about to happen that would require the unearthing of the Sigils, and that Maegella would pay the price for it. For years I wandered, gathering any information I could. Thirteen years ago, I found that the recently elected Leader was holding Mages against their will, forcing them to use magic to find the Sigils. The forced effort drained the captive Mages and made them horribly weak. I recruited as many able Mages and non-Mages as I could to stop Duroc. Naturally, I did not know what he had done to warrant the search for the Sigils, but his methods for finding them were abhorrent."

Gelvin scowled at the memory, but continued speaking in a moderate tone.

"When I learned that Maegella was heading to Rothezar, we managed to stop her before she reached the Hall. I tried to keep her away from the Resistance; I thought that keeping her away from Rothezar and anything to do with Duroc would protect her, but she insisted on joining. She wanted to help." Gelvin shrugged as he gave a mirthless laugh. "I could not say no to her, unfortunately."

Ford could not help smiling.

Wendy leaned forward. "Is that why you came to our dimension? To keep the Sigil away from Maegella?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Before I left the Gray Guild, I discovered a Founder's artefact, an astonishing device that allows you to travel to another dimension. It was rumored that the Founder of the Gray Guild used it to deliver her own sword _Calesvol_ to another plane of existence, lending it to a troubled young king. I brought that device with me when we stormed Duroc's Hall. But the night before the siege, while I spoke with Maegella, I had the vision again. This time, something else changed."

And he stared at the projection, which changed again. Maegella looked just as she did in the present, her eyes and forehead glowing as she scowled at them. But this time, something else appeared; a gloved hand reached out to her and grasped her shoulder.

Dipper was heard counting under his breath. "That hand…it's got six fingers!" he said loudly.

Stan looked at Ford. His twin was staring at the projection in shock. Beside Ford, Gelvin was looking at him with a small smile.

"That vision never changed for thirteen years. I am very glad that Maegella found you, Stanford."

Ford was not sure how to answer that.

"I have returned, Maester Gelvin," Sandri announced behind them. He and Sofi stepped forward, looking at the Maester in concern. "Would you like to retire to…?"

"I have told you, Sandri," Gelvin interrupted firmly as he waved a hand over the orb, dissipating the projection and returning it to its clear state. "I will stay here and keep watch with you." He pocketed the orb and looked beside him. "But the young ones will need their rest," he commented when he spotted Dipper yawning.

"He's right, kids," said Ford, butting in before Dipper and Mabel could protest. "Time for bed. It's getting late."

"Okay," Dipper grumbled. He turned to Gelvin and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go to bed or something?"

"I am sure," Gelvin replied, smiling. He ruffled Dipper's hair and was surprised by a hug from Mabel.

"Please don't wear yourself out, Maester-guy," she whispered in his ear. "Maegella won't like it."

"I promise," Gelvin chuckled as Mabel let him go. He got a pat on the shoulder from Ford and Stan passing by and a "G'night, dawg!" from Soos.

As they walked down to the first level and headed for the mouth of the cavern, Mabel said softly, "He did all this out of love."

Ford was the only one to see Stan nod in agreement. "Can't blame him for that."

 **XXXXX**

 **Author's Note:** Calesvol should be familiar to literature/history buffs. I wanted to add that as a sort of funny historical moment between dimensions.


	28. Reconnect Again

_February 21 in Earth-time_

Ford listened to the miscellaneous snores inside the room. Feeling that going back to sleep wasn't going to happen, he fumbled for his glasses and looked at the round window. The night sky was becoming lighter in color. It was a new day.

He got out of bed and put on his long cloak and boots, taking care not to make too much noise despite Stan's thunderous snores. He ran a hand through his hair, hoping that it would be enough to make him look a bit presentable.

He walked towards the door and opened it, looking behind him to see if he had disturbed anyone. Seeing that no one was disturbed, he carefully closed the door behind him and started walking towards the stairs. The hallway was still lit by the glowing stones set inside the glass-and-metal cylinders attached to the walls. He remembered that Dipper said something about wanting one, and he made a mental note to ask around.

"Where are you going, Great Uncle Ford?"

Ford nearly jumped. He whirled around and spotted Dipper padding towards him while putting his arm into the sleeve of his robe.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, kid," Ford murmured. "I decided to visit the Springs. Why are _you_ awake?"

Dipper shrugged. "I suddenly woke up. Not sure why. Can I come with you?"

Ford smiled at his great-nephew. "Of course."

They left the Hall and walked the path leading to the Springs. Ahead of them, a large turquoise lizard crossed their path and scurried into the bushes.

"Is it just me, or did that lizard have wings?" asked Dipper.

"Normally, I'd love to investigate," Ford replied, looking away from the spot where the lizard disappeared, "but I think I'd like a break from it for now. We'll ask Gelvin or Sandri about the fauna here when we see them."

Dipper filled the silence the rest of the way by asking Ford about Rothezar and the Guilds, which his Grunkle was able to answer. Ford looked closely at his great-nephew; Dipper seemed to be back to his usual self without any ill effects from the Sigil. He wondered if Maegella would recover just as quickly.

"Would it be rude if we asked for some bottles of healing water to take back home with us?" Dipper asked as they walked up to the second level inside the cavern. "Dad says that Grandpa Shermie has been complaining about his joints for some time, and McGucket could use some, too. And why couldn't you just drink the stuff instead of swim in it for it to work?"

"We could try asking one of the Maesters here," Ford answered, beaming at his nephew's consideration. "Personally, after thousands of years of people swimming in the pools, I wouldn't be too excited to drink the water from it."

Dipper looked disgusted as Ford's words sank in. "Oh…oh, that _is_ nasty," he agreed. He looked ahead of them and exclaimed, "Oh wow. Gelvin is still here?"

"And the pool is still glowing," added Ford, frowning. They walked towards the two figures huddled near the pool. Gelvin was still sitting cross-legged and hunched over in slumber while Sandri was curled up to his side, facing the pool.

"So much for keeping watch," Ford murmured.

"That posture can't be good for his back," Dipper muttered, looking at Gelvin with concern. "Should we move him?"

"We might wake him," Ford said softly. "And if he wakes up with a sore back, he can take a dip in a nearby pool."

Dipper opened his mouth to say something, but something else caught his attention.

"Great Uncle Ford, look!" he whispered, pointing at the pool.

Ford turned around. At first, all he saw was Maegella floating in the glowing pool.

And then her right hand twitched.

Ford blinked. He moved to the edge of the pool and stared. Maegella's hand twitched again.

"Is she waking up?" Dipper asked.

"It's possible," Ford murmured. He moved to stand at a space above Sandri's head and laid down on his stomach, inching close until his shoulders were level with the edge of the pool.

"Grunkle Ford, what are you doing?" Dipper hissed, looking bewildered at Ford's actions.

"Maegella?" Ford called out softly. He tried to tamp down his excitement when she jerked her head a bit.

He stretched out a hand to her just as Dipper called out, "Wait Grunkle Ford!"

He missed touching her arm, hitting the water instead.

A series of images and sounds rushed into his mind, pulling him away.

 _A woman cried out in pain…a massive stone structure shrouded in shadow…a man moving to crouch over a young girl…four people in different colored robes glaring at him…_

The next thing he knew, Ford was staring at the ceiling of the cavern, his view partially obstructed by the fuzzy faces of three people.

"Great Uncle Ford, are you okay?!" Dipper cried out, wide-eyed with panic.

Ford blinked and shook his head, feeling like his head was stuffed with cotton. His face was wet, and hair was sticking to his forehead. "Wha-what happened?" he mumbled, brushing his damp hair from his face. Dipper reached forward and placed his glasses back on his face, making the world clear again.

"Dipper's cry woke us," Gelvin explained, looking at Ford with concern. "Your hand and part of your face were submerged. Sandri and I pulled you out and revived you."

"You looked like you were in a trance," Sandri said softly. "And you kept saying something over and over, but I only caught ' _Amin khiluva lle_ '."

"What does that mean?" asked Ford, who started to sit up.

Gelvin frowned. "Not many of us speak the old language. The tricky thing about it is that you need to hear the whole phrase or sentence to make sense of it."

"And how come he was able to say it?" asked Dipper. "He doesn't know your language!"

"That is a fair question," Gelvin agreed, looking at Ford speculatively. "What happened after you touched the water, Stanford?"

And Ford shared what he remembered with them, the sounds and sights he witnessed briefly. During his accounting, Gelvin placed a hand on his shoulder and closed his eyes.

The Maester opened his eyes when Ford said, "And that's what I remembered."

Ford looked at Gelvin; the Maester was looking at him with an inscrutable expression.

"What does it all mean, Maester Gelvin?" asked Sandri.

Gelvin looked at Ford, then turned to look at Maegella's pool. He squeezed Ford's shoulder.

"Nothing definite," he said quietly. "And possibly anything."

He surprised the group by jumping up to his feet. "I need to send a message to the Gray Guild. Sandri, I will call upon another Blue Mage to replace your watch. Take Stanford and Dipper with you to the Dining Hall and nourish yourselves."

With a swish of his cloak, Gelvin left the Springs, leaving them to look at each other in concern.

 **XXXXX**

Sandri, Dipper and Ford make their way back to the Guild Hall after Sofi arrived to take over the watch. They spotted Stan and the rest of their group somewhere in the middle of the Dining Hall, halfway done with their breakfast. After getting their food, Dipper and Ford approached the table and found that Erwan was sitting with them as well.

"Where have you two been?" asked Stan before taking a bite out of a leg of roasted fowl. "Also, what kind of bird is this and can we breed 'em back in our dimension? Hear me out: _alternative bacon_! We'll be rich!"

Ford just shook his head. Next to Stan's plate was a small mountain of cookies in front of Mabel. Mabel looked at Ford and smiled widely; blue cookie bits were stuck to her teeth and braces.

"We got back from visiting Maegella," Dipper replied, sitting next to Mabel. "She's still floating in the glowing pool a-and…and Gelvin suddenly needed to send a message to his Guild for some reason."

Dipper had been about to share what happened to Ford when Ford shot him a look. _Maybe this wasn't a good time to share it with the rest of them_ , Dipper thought.

Across the table, Soos waved at Dipper. "Hey, Dipper, did you get some of the purple pancakes?" he asked. He then stuck his tongue out. "It mehks yer tung furfle dahg!"

While Dipper laughed and ate the pancake, Stan got Ford's attention again. "We've been catching up on some news from Erwan here," he said. "They went and busted Duroc's staff for pulling all that crap for thirteen years."

Ford snorted before spooning some red pudding into his mouth. "Seems like a light sentence to me," he muttered.

"That is not all," said Erwan. "He is awaiting further sentence from the Maesters of the Red Guild. They are selecting the services he will render without magic for the rest of his life."

"Oooh, I hope he gets to clean out toilets all over the place," said Wendy.

"With his own toothbrush!" added Dipper, whose lips have turned purple from the pancakes. He gave Wendy a high-five.

"We will find out what his sentence will be soon enough," said Erwan, who decided not to ask them what toilets were. "Presently, we are now looking for candidates for the Leadership of Rothezar. It is traditional for Maesters to nominate a representative from their Guild. Veron and I had to decline when they asked it from us."

"Dude, why didn't you guys accept?" asked Soos. "Either of you would be better than that Duroc guy."

Erwan smiled. "You flatter me, Soos, but Veron and I do not feel up to the challenges and pressure for such a duty. Speaking of Veron, he has taken an interest in the wrecks of the otherworld crafts. He and a group of Red Mages have spread out to look for more of them." He turned to look at Ford. "He wants to make use of them to protect Rothezar from future invasions. He seems to have been inspired after I told him of our confrontation with the alien."

"Hey, you know what Erwan? Take this," said Stan, fishing his hearing aid from his pocket and handing it to the Green Mage. "Just in case those losers try to sneak back into the planet. Give 'em heck!"

Erwan held out his hand for the device, holding it reverently like a holy relic. "Thank you, Stanley! Veron would be most pleased."

As Erwan pocketed the hearing aid, there was a commotion by the doors. Sofi ran into the room, wide-eyed and breathing hard.

"She is awake!" Sofi screamed. "Mentor Maegella is awake! She-she floated from her pool and left the Springs!"

Everyone jumped up from their seats. Maester Arra walked up briskly to the hysterical Mage and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Calm down, child!" said the stern-looking Maester. "Did she say anything? Did you see where she went?"

Sofi shook her head. "She said nothing, Maester Arra, and I do not know where she went. By the time I reached the mouth of the cavern, she was gone!"

Suddenly, two people arrived at the Dining Hall from the other side. One of them wore green robes.

"Greetings! I come bearing news from the Green Guild," announced the green-robed Mage. "The Guardian rests at the foot of Calen Hills. I have been sent by Maester Dagan to request the assistance of a Maester of the Blue Guild…"

Arra stared at the messenger.

"I think we know where Maegella went," she said quietly. "Summon Maester Gelvin at once!"

 **XXXXX**

Moments later, a group of Mages left the Blue Guild. Maester Arra led the group, followed by Gelvin, Sandri and Erwan. At Ford's insistence, he came along with them and paired up with Erwan. At _Stan's_ insistence, he came along too and was paired up with Sandri. Another Blue Mage accompanied them; he was paired up with a short, stocky man with an impressive black beard and wearing dull brown robes.

"He is the smith they sent to Beleger," Gelvin explained to Ford and Stan before they left. "He was commissioned to create the Containing Stone for the Pendulum."

They flew east, over small hamlets and roads and a large section of forest. Some of the houses were wrecked by the recent invasion, and several sections of forest were flattened. After several minutes, Erwan called out: "Look, there are the Calen Hills! Beyond that is our Hall!"

Looking over Erwan's shoulder, Ford spotted three large, green hills standing side-by-side. They were identical in size and shape and were evenly spaced apart. Between two of the hills was a large, hunched shape, looking like an unusual dirty yellow blob on the green. A small crowd of green-robed people parted to give way to the contingent from the Blue Guild. Two other groups in yellow and red robes milled about at the front of the Guardian. The only gray-robed Mage around was Gelvin.

Mek-Death knelt on the ground on one knee, with its back to them and its head bowed. It looked like the enormous statue was hiding behind its shield. Ford suspected that it was holding its sword in front of it like a Knight paying homage to their liege.

A short, thickset man with an impressive grey mustache and wearing green robes spotted them. He walked briskly towards them and raised his staff. "Greetings, Maester Arra!"

Arra and the other Mages raised their staffs. "Greetings, Maester Dagan!" said Arra. "We have with us Maester Gelvin, who will stand for the Gray Guild, and Head Smith Qeb."

Maester Dagan nodded. "Follow me, if you will," he said, and led the way to the front of the Guardian. "Two of the Sigils have already been extracted from the Guardian. However, Maester Irri of the Red Guild was unable to extract the Pendulum…"

"Maester Irri will be able to retrieve it now," said Arra. "Qeb has created a Containing Stone for that Sigil." She looked at Dagan and said kindly, "I would also like to extend our condolences and thanks on the sacrifice Mentor Darreon has made for Rothezar."

Dagan nodded. "He was a good man," he murmured. He looked up and continued, "And he had a good reason."

They followed his line of sight and spotted Maegella standing at the foot of the Guardian. Ford stopped walking and stared at her; her robes were still silver. The rest of the group walked on ahead, but someone stayed behind with Ford.

Stan placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Go to her, Sixer," he said.

Ford gave Stan a worried look. "I—I don't know what to say, Stan."

Stan stroked his chin, looking contemplative. "Why don't you try with something simple, like 'hi'?" He gently shoved his brother in Maegella's direction. "Go for it, ya nerd!"

Ford caught himself and gave his brother a look. He took a deep breath and approached Maegella.

"Hi," he said quietly, so quietly he thought she didn't hear him. He was about to repeat himself when she turned around slowly. Her eyes were wide and gray.

"Stanford," she whispered. Before Ford could say anything, Maegella went and hugged him. He hugged back and felt his face heat up; he was vaguely aware of his brother letting out a whoop behind him, but he didn't care.

"You saved me," Maegella murmured, pulling away from him to look at him properly. "I was ready and willing to make the sacrifice; you did not have to…"

"But I wanted to," Ford cut in, looking her in the eye. "We planned to go in and replace you with Gelvin; he wanted to take the Sigil from Dipper from the start and make the sacrifice himself, but then…"

"Darreon…my dearest friend. He took my place instead," she whispered. She looked down and let go of Ford, wrapping her arms around herself. "Poor Darreon."

"He did it because he loved you," Ford said simply. He reached out to put a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"I know," she whispered, reaching up to touch Ford's hand. They looked up and saw Gelvin floating down to the ground on a Hover Disc, holding something to his chest. The Maester turned around and held the round, gray stone away from him. Arra walked up to him; in her hands, she held a similar stone. Behind them, Qeb handed a round gray stone (looking newer than the first two) to an olive-skinned woman in red robes who seemed to be at least a foot taller than Gelvin. She stepped on a Hover Disc and went floating up to the chest of Mek-Death. Gelvin spotted them looking at him and gave them a small smile, beckoning them to come over.

When they reached him, Gelvin surprised Maegella by reaching for her and pulling her into a one-armed hug. "I was so worried, my dear," he murmured. "I have made mistakes; it nearly cost you your life and had taken Darreon away. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive this foolish old man one day."

Maegella hugged him back. "I would like to know more of what you have done or withheld from me, Gelvin. But you have always been there for me; I think it will not be hard for me to forgive you."

Stan and Erwan approached them just as Maester Irri floated down from the Guardian. The tall woman looked troubled.

"I have retrieved the Sigil and transferred it to the Stone," Irri announced in a booming voice. "But it still glows!"

She held out the Containing Stone with a glowing white Sigil in the middle. Ford felt Maegella stiffen beside him; he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

Gelvin stared at it. "Legend did state that the Sigil glowed like this the first time," he said. "However, none of the Founders shared how long it took before the Sigil stopped glowing, as they hid it immediately after concealing the Guardian."

Irri raised an eyebrow and looked back down at the Sigil. "Very well. We will keep watch over it and see how long it will take, as we agreed."

"Wait; you guys are going to keep it?" Stan asked in surprise.

Arra looked at Stan and nodded. "We have come to an agreement: the Guilds will keep watch over their respective Sigils from now on. We will take measures to ensure their protection until such time that they will be needed."

"One only hopes," Dagan added sagely. "That the need will surpass our lifetime."

 **XXXXX**

They left Caren Hills and headed back to the Blue Guild. Ford was paired up with Gelvin on the return trip, as Erwan elected to stay behind.

Ford looked behind him; Maegella took up the rear on a Hover Disc. She explained earlier that she could only maintain flight for a short amount of time. Sofi did not see her drop to the ground and walk back to the Guild to retrieve a spare Hover Disc, but she was surprised to find that she could control the Disc without aid of a staff. Ford noticed that the Maesters gave Maegella a lot of space while they discussed how they would conceal the Guardian.

The round blue roof of the Guild was visible now. To Ford's surprise, Gelvin veered in the opposite direction, heading for the river nearby. They heard Stan yell in surprise when he realized where they went.

"Where are we going?" Ford asked Gelvin as they approached the gray banks of the river, landing by a large, flat rock. When Ford jumped off and turned to Gelvin, he found that the Maester started floating up.

"I am just here to drop you off, Stanford," Gelvin said quietly as Maegella landed in front of Ford. The Maester gave him a small smile before flying away.

Ford swallowed nervously as he watched Maegella hop off her Hover Disc…

 **XXXXX**

 _Sometime later…_

Stan stopped trying to get a word in edgewise when Mabel started squealing with delight. He wondered if it was a mistake to tell them about Ford and Maegella having a private meeting. The information seemed to affect his niece like she drank a pitcher or two of Mabel Juice; she started jumping around the room and taking her emotions out on her twin brother, squeezing him like one of her stuffed toys until he started gasping for air.

"I knew this would happen!" Mabel screamed, letting go of Dipper and running towards Stan to grab his hands and attempt to pull him up. Stan held his ground, though, so Mabel opted to jump in front of him instead like a hyperactive grasshopper. "Grunkle Ford is going to ask Maegella to marry him! Oooh, I need to plan two weddings!"

"Kid, we don't even know if that's what they're gonna talk about," Stan said, trying to get his hands back from his niece's surprisingly strong grip. "And why two weddings?"

He regretted asking that question when Mabel squealed again. He wondered if it was too late to get his hearing aid back from Erwan…

"Grunkle Stan, we have to hold one wedding here and another wedding back in our world! I mean, they're old, so they deserve double the wedding! I wanna be a bridesmaid in BOTH dimensions, and you and Dipper can be co-groomsmen! We can hold the wedding here in the Guild and then the other wedding at the Mystery Shack! You can go out with that Maester-lady who liked you so much! Oh my gosh, do they have wedding planners here?!" She whirled around and pointed at Wendy. "WENDY, help me plan the weddings!"

Wendy leaned away from Mabel's aggressive finger-pointing. "I don't know anything about weddings, dude," she said just as the door to their room opened.

"What about weddings?" asked Ford as he stepped into the room.

The next thing he knew, a brown-haired torpedo collided with his middle, almost making him lose his balance. Mabel wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and started chanting, "What did she say?! What did she say?! What did she say?!"

"Calm down, Mabel," said Ford, gingerly moving to close the door behind him before attempting to peel off Mabel from his middle. "I assume you're asking what Maegella and I talked about earlier," he said, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

Stan raised his hands in the air. "Hey, I only told them why you didn't come with me back to this place. Mabel started making her own conclusions and planning your wedding."

Ford sputtered, then let out a sigh. With Mabel still attached to his waist, he hobbled towards the bed his brother was sitting on and sat next to him.

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Mabel. "Maegella and I did talk. We came to an agreement that—well, that it would be best if we remain in our own dimensions."

Ford looked up; the expressions on the faces around him were mixed. Dipper and Wendy briefly shared a glance before looking away. Soos looked sad. Next to him, Stan sighed and patted his shoulder. When he looked down at Mabel, she looked stunned.

"What? But…don't you like each other, Grunkle Ford?" she asked plaintively.

Ford just gave her a sad sort of smile, tucking a stray lock of hair from her face. "I do like her, and the feeling is mutual," he said softly, pulling her into a gentle hug. "But sometimes, it doesn't always end like you want it to."

 **XXXXX**

That afternoon, Gelvin returned to the spot where he dropped off Ford and spotted Maegella sitting on the flat rock. She was staring at the river in profile to him, her expression blank. But he knew her; despite her training and her near-brush with a terrible fate, she was for him the daughter he never had. He could sense her distress from where he stood.

He stood next to the rock and gently cleared his throat. "I hope there is still space on the rock for an old friend."

Maegella looked at him and moved to the side. Gelvin sat next to her and made himself comfortable on the rock. He didn't say anything and just waited.

When the first choke of a sob reached his ears, he stretched an arm out to wrap around her shoulder.

"I let him go," Maegella whispered. "He said that if I—but, I—I cannot take him away from his family, Gelvin, and I must stay and help my people."

Gelvin frowned; when he held her, he saw and heard what Maegella encountered in the Inner Sanctum. _Unnecessary manipulation_ , he thought irritably, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"You did what you thought is right," he murmured, fishing a piece of cloth from inside his robes and using it to dab the tears from her face. "But know this: if you change your mind, no one will judge you harshly for it. Your happiness, after all, is your decision."

And he held her close for a long while.


	29. Going Home Epilogue

After dinner, Sofi and Sandri waited for them by the gates of the Blue Guild. Standing nearby were Erwan and Veron. Three of them held up lanterns containing the glowing stones while Veron held up his staff, where a ball of red flame floated at the tip.

It was time to go home.

All six of them said their goodbyes to the Maesters of the Blue Guild and thanked them for their hospitality. As a sign of gratitude for stopping the invasion, the Maesters gave them each a clear flask of water from the Healing Springs, marble-sized glowing rocks that they could keep in their pockets, and assorted little gifts. Unfortunately for Stan, they could not provide a breeding pair of the jub-jub birds that he showed interest in earlier that day. The reason behind it was not just because they didn't want to introduce an invasive species to their dimension, but because the creatures themselves were difficult to catch without getting burned.

"Who'd have thought they'd have fire-spitting turkeys that taste like pork chops?" Stan mumbled on their way out of the Guild.

"Might have made a great attraction at the Mystery Shack," Soos commented. "'Course, we got to set them somewhere where they won't cause forest fires."

"I would recommend setting them up at the high school," Wendy said casually. "Or we could ask McGucket to hold them somewhere in his fancy mansion. He could whip up a fire-proof henhouse for them or something."

"Set them up near the lake and advertise hot springs to go with your hot wings!" suggested Dipper.

Stan started laughing. "I knew that big head of yours will come in handy, Dipper!"

Behind them, Ford didn't have anything to add to their contrived jub-jub plans. He stared ahead at the light provided by Sofi and Sandri as they led the way to the departure point. He felt someone touch his right hand; Mabel had lagged behind so that she could walk next to him.

"Are you sure you're okay, Grunkle Ford?" she asked him.

Ford gave her what he felt was a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand. "I'll be fine, my dear. This is for the best."

He looked ahead and missed the worried look on her face.

Behind them, Erwan touched Mabel's shoulder to catch her attention. "Veron has some news he would like to share with you…" he started to say.

"Erwan, if you say one more word, I will set your robes aflame," Veron growled.

It seemed to be a risk that the younger Mage was willing to accept.

"Dorinda accepted Veron's suit!" Erwan blurted out fast before running ahead to keep some distance between himself and the crusty Red Mage.

"Wait, what?!" shouted Mabel, turning around to look at Veron. By the light of the red flame, Veron looked like he was about to skewer Erwan with his eyes.

"I, well…" Veron started to say, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "Dorinda is an amiable woman with a good head on her shoulders when she is not led astray by peer pressure. She has been a great help in our endeavors with the…"

The Red Mage was cut off by Mabel's delighted squeal.

"Match made!" she yelled.

"What in the world is that about?" Gelvin called out nearby. They have arrived at the spot near the river where they arrived a few days ago.

"Mabel made her mark in Rothezar," Dipper supplied helpfully.

Ford looked up and saw that Maegella was standing next to Gelvin. The light of the rocks bounced off her silver robes, making her shimmer in the dark. They looked at each other briefly before Maegella broke it off to walk towards Soos.

"I will miss you all," she said quietly before opening her arms to hug the large man. Soos sniffled and hugged her tightly.

"If you have the time, try to visit us again sometime, ok?" Soos warbled.

"We will see, Soos," Maegella replied, leaning back and wiping the tear from his large, amiable face. She then turned to hug Wendy. "You brave girl; tell your father I thank him for his kindness."

"I will," said Wendy, squeezing her gently.

Next, Maegella walked over to Dipper and knelt down in front of him. She reached out and pulled the reluctant teenager into her arms.

"Thank you for doing what you did back there, Maegella," Dipper said reverently. "That was pretty selfless of you, you know?"

"And I would do it again, if need be," said Maegella. She looked over his shoulder at Mabel and smiled. "After all, I made a promise."

Mabel let out a sob. She let go of Ford's hand and went to hug Maegella.

"Thank you for keeping your promise," the young girl whispered into Maegella's ear. "Won't you come with us? You'll get to stay with Grunkle Ford and we'll be your new family!"

Maegella closed her eyes. "Oh, I wish it were so simple, my dear," she whispered back. "But I have a new set of obligations here. I cannot just leave, and I cannot take Stanford away from you." She pulled away and gave Mabel a sad smile.

Mabel's eyes were filled with tears. "It's just not fair," she whispered as Dipper pulled her away.

Maegella wiped the corners of her eyes before standing up to face the oldest Pines twins. She turned to Stan first and hugged him. "I am glad to know you and your family, Stanley," she said. "And I want to thank you for not giving up on your brother."

"It's what family is all about," Stan muttered, sounding like he got a head cold. He pulled away and stepped back to give his brother a moment with her.

She and Ford looked at each other for what seemed to be a long time before Maegella moved to get something from the pocket of her robes.

"I have something for you, Stanford," she said, taking his hand and placing something on his palm. Ford looked down at the small, smooth stone. On its polished, dark blue surface was an etching of a symbol that was painted in gold.

"That is the Sigil of the Blue Guild," Maegella explained. "It is given to a Mage who achieves Mentor status. I have been informed that I can no longer resume my duties as a Mentor of the Blue Guild because my staff was destroyed. However, after the issue with Mek-Death, I seem to have acquired a new status here in Rothezar..."

"Her ability to use magic without aid of a staff is a rare skill once mastered by the Founders of Rothezar," Gelvin interjected. "Already, the Maesters of the Blue Guild are searching their archives to find how best to assist Maegella."

The Maester then retrieved what looked like a slim block of granite from inside his robes. On its shiny surface were dull gray runes that Ford could not identify.

"Is that the artefact?" asked Ford.

Gelvin nodded. "The last time I used this, I nearly passed out in front of Stanley," he said. "This time, someone more qualified than I will open the gateway."

He then handed it to Maegella and stepped away. Maegella held up the device with the runes pointing away from her and shouted, " _Irma Haennon!_ "

The runes started to glow. A beam of light shot out from the device and traced the form of a door at a point in front of them. Tendrils of electricity shot out from the edges of the rectangle as white light filled in the shape.

"You must go now!" Gelvin yelled. "The gateway will return you to Piedmont! Give my apologies to Sarah and Ben!"

"I'll go first!" Wendy shouted. She turned and waved at the Mages behind her before jumping into the gateway.

Soos went next. "COWABUNGA DUUUUUUDES!"

"Mabel, let's go!" Dipper yelled, grabbing his twin's hand. The kids ran together to the Portal and vanished.

"C'mon, Ford! It's our turn!" Stan shouted.

"I'm coming!" Ford yelled back. But before he could move one step, a firm hand grasped his arm. Ford turned around to see who tried to stop him. Before he could say anything, Maegella pulled him close to her and kissed him softly on the lips.

Stan dropped his jaw.

When Maegella pulled away, Ford looked a little dazed. He wasn't aware of being led towards the gateway, still processing the kiss.

"Goodbye Stanford," Maegella said quietly before gently pushing him towards the door…

 **XXXXX**

Ford was yelling as he flew through the wormhole. Judging from the hollering behind him, Stan was not far behind.

Suddenly, he hit hardwood floor and faceplanted on a rug, sliding a few feet across it. He let out a yowl when Stan tumbled after him and landed on his legs.

Stan groaned. "Thanks for breaking my fall, buddy!"

"Should I thank you for breaking my legs?" Ford grumbled through the rug.

"Uncle Stan? Uncle Ford?!"

Blearily, Ford carefully raised his head and spotted Ben and Sarah a few feet ahead. They were sitting on the floor hugging Dipper and Mabel tightly. Soos and Ben scrambled to get up and assist Stan and Ford to their feet.

"Ben, Sarah!" Ford croaked, spitting out some threads. "I am so sorry! We—"

But Ford was cut off as Ben pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you!" he said in a shaking voice. He turned and pulled Stan into the hug as well. "Thank you for bringing back our children!"

 **XXXXX**

 _Epilogue_ …

Contrary to Stan's worry, Ben and Sarah Pines did not hold the events of February 19th against them, though Sarah had some choice words about Gelvin's involvement when she was alone with her husband. They spent the rest of the night getting details of what had happened in Rothezar and admiring the gifts the children brought back with them. Ben suggested giving the flask of healing water to his father on Shermie's birthday.

Ben and Sarah were surprised at the appearance of Dipper's "birthmark", or rather its disappearance: it had now faded to the point that you need to be up in Dipper's face in order to see a trace of it. Ford suggested a cover story about meeting a reclusive dermatologist over winter break. Mabel was the one who recommended the name "Dr. Sophie Arra-Veron".

Soos called up Melody and assured her that everyone was fine. He also shared with her about a concept for a new display at the Mystery Shack: the abominable fire-spitting turkey. Stan, who overheard the conversation, felt nothing but pride for Soos as he heard the man-child explain how to rig a small flamethrower inside a taxidermied turkey.

At the end of winter break, Stan and Ford bring Soos and Wendy with them back to Brookings, Oregon, where Manly Dan waited for them. After seeing them drive away, the Pines brothers replenished their supplies and resumed their seafaring adventures. Sometimes, Stan would catch his brother staring at a small object in his hand.

He wonders if Ford would be okay…

 _Months later…_

In the early hours of the new day, she ran across the banks of the river, clasping her head between her hands.

She could not sleep, she could not concentrate. _She has to get away_.

She found the place she was looking for; she raised her hands and said, " _Irma Haennon!_ "

As the gateway opened in front of her, she smiled for the first time in days.

"Get away from me!" Maegella whispered as she jumped into the gateway.

 **XXXXX**

FRPLQJ VRRQ: WKH UHWXUQ WR JUDYLWB IDOOV DQG D SUHTXHO.

WKDQN BRX IRU UHDGLQJ!


End file.
